Has Greta Thunberg made the climate change problem worse?

Credit: CNN

Greta Thunberg - a 17 year old climate activist who has changed the climate scene with her inspiring school protests and attacks on negligent global leaders. It is unarguable that Greta Thunberg has placed greater global emphasis on climate change, but has this necessarily been for the better? Has she turned awareness into radicalism?

Activists around the world have hailed her as the upcoming face of environmental awareness and action, but many more, especially politicians, criticized the movement she has created. Dissent against Greta is growing as much as support for her, and many fear that her actions have resulted in a loss of progress made against climate change over the past decades. 

The History

Greta Thunberg began to attract global fame after she was the face of a series of school strikes in Sweden, who were protesting for greater political action to be taken to revert the negative effects of climate change. She slowly gained fame and traction in social media, particularly amongst young teenagers who shared her idealistic view, and eventually gave a speech in multiple forums - including the UN and World Economic Forum, from where she was heavily criticized by leaders such as Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. A large part of the controversy Greta faces as a climate activist is the political agendas of the politicians who criticize her - it is notable that Trump’s economic centered policies are hindered by Greta’s environmental activism, and could be a possible basis for his disagreement with Greta. 

A large part of Greta’s campaign and the support acquired is because of her fierce attack on capitalism in Western countries - she believes capitalism has encouraged countries to rely more on fossil fuels, as they are cheaper and more efficient than renewable sources of energy, and competition is driving companies to relying on these fossil fuels. This has been a divisive factor of her campaign, due to the mixed political opinions about capitalism. Many economists agree with her, yet many others say that capitalism is an essential economic model for the Western world - whilst there are negative environmental consequences, undeniably capitalism has led to the rise of the US superpower. Therefore, the stance and opinion you have of Greta is likely to originate from where you are on the political spectrum.

The Opinions

Critics - Environmentalists have criticized Greta’s campaign, claiming that protests have provided an easy way out for the youth - the public is now more focused on raising awareness, rather than taking individual steps to actually solve the problem. Politicians especially worry about how Greta’s protests can affect their perception and legitimacy with the public, and how the protests clash with their own economic agendas, causing many to condemn her actions, over fears of their political agenda.

Politicians are less likely to attack Greta on their own controversial political stances, and therefore claim that adults are manipulating Greta for fame, and that young people shouldn’t talk about ‘grown up politics’. Not only is this insensitive, but blatantly false - the youth play a massive role in politics, and rightfully need to. Donald Trump’s tweet excellently surmises this view - “Greta must work on her anger management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend”

Supporters - Greta has received overwhelming support from communities around the world, who believe that she has been a driving factor of environmental-political change to come. When opposers have labelled Greta as a ‘mentally disturbed kid’, supporters have championed her as a messiah for change. More than ever, the environment needs a political figure, and Greta is a contending candidate. 

The Answer

The criticism Greta faces has now phased from a question of her competency to a feeling of insecurity and a fear of change, especially for adult politicians in power. Whilst many fear her anger and passion is driving environmental awareness into radicalism and aggression, many more question - “Isn’t this what we need to solve our climate crisis?”

Greta’s campaign also points towards a greater political issue - the possible oppression youth and teenagers can face when they raise their voice on political issues. Even bigger than attempting to solve climate change, Greta’s campaign has empowered youth all over the globe, and provided them with a platform to express disapproval of harmful policies, and has truly shown the impact one can have, regardless of their age, if they take and advocate for a political stance. 

As Greta says, “I have learned that you are never too small to make a difference.”