Guest essay by Eric Worrall
Speaking in London, climate action crusader Greta Thunberg explained that Britain is especially guilty for wrecking the world, because Britain was the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution.
British MP Michael Gove praised Thunberg’s trashing of Britain’s historical contribution to global prosperity.
The Greta Thunberg effect: at last, MPs focus on climate change
Michael Gove admits to feeling guilt as young activist says: your fossil fuels policy is beyond absurd
…
“This ongoing irresponsible behaviour will no doubt be remembered in history as one of the greatest failures of humankind,” she told the packed audience of MPs, officials and fellow school strikers. “You lied to us. You gave us false hope. You told us that the future was something to look forward to.”
There was no let-up for the audience. The UK, she said, was very special due to its “mind-blowing historical carbon debt”, a reference to the country’s record as the birthplace of industrialisation. But this was also, she said, because its claims of world-leading progress on cutting emissions are partly the result of “creative accounting” and are belied by the government’s plans for more high-emissions projects.
“The UK’s active current support of new exploitation of fossil fuels, like for example the UK shale gas fracking industry, the expansion of its North Sea oil and gas fields, the expansion of airports, as well as the planning permission for a brand new coalmine, is beyond absurd,” she said.She finished to a standing ovation and cheers, then sat quietly as the panel of senior politicians gave their responses. Several appeared chastened.
“Your voice – still, calm and clear – is like the voice of our conscience,” said the environment secretary, Michael Gove. “When I listened to you, I felt great admiration, but also responsibility and guilt. I am of your parents’ generation, and I recognise that we haven’t done nearly enough to address climate change and the broader environmental crisis that we helped to create.”
…
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/apr/23/greta-thunberg
What were our selfish ancestors thinking, when they started the process of industrial fossil fuel extraction which gave us automobiles and telephones and computers and comfortable indoor jobs which don’t involve back breaking labor and early death? When they set the stage for medicines and anaesthetics and dentistry and aged care and reliable food supplies?
How dare Britain help raise the living standards of the entire human race.
Clearly a proper apology is required. I look forward to Michael Gove delivering a proper apology for Britain’s role in helping to create the modern world in Britain’s Parliament, when his party chooses him as the next British Conservative Prime Minister.
Discover more from Watts Up With That?
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
These foolish people don’t realize that trying to undo the benefits of the industrial revolution isn’t stepping off a curb, it’s a stepping off a cliff.
Children crusade redux …
If humans are guilty of increasing CO2 from 280 ppm to 400 ppm as of now, then those humans did increase the efficiency of photosynthesis for most plants.
Looking at the C3 plants efficiency I would estimate some +15%.
Britain did some contribution to that, wonder if they would be entitled to some percentage of the production, is this what our Greta has in mind?
We need somebody to do a picture with 280 ppm 🙂 to the left:
Those who don’t know history are bound to repeat historical mistakes. Greta reminds me of the young girl whose “vision” convinced her tribe to destroy their livestock so they could fend of the British who were slowly taking over their territory. Unfortunately for the tribe, starvation made them even more vulnerable to their the British colonialists.
+2
OOOOOHH! Dental care!!!
She is a godsend. Joe Public will simply not buy this, because no sane person
could look at or listen to Greta and feel anything other than pity. (and maybe a little creeped out)
The Warmists have ‘jumped the shark’.
Like most 16 year olds, Greta knows everything. However, for some reason, foolish adults not only believe her but give her a platform for her nonsense.
So, now we add fossil-fuel guilt to white guilt and male guilt.
I’m white, male, and I appreciate the advances and comforts bestowed by fossil fuel, yet I feel zero guilt. Should I feel guilty about THAT ?
Well, if you’re like me, you feel pissed-off that elites who are singling you out as a target for acceptable persecution feel it’s their prerogative to take it all away.
That seems to me, the more appropriate reaction.
This girl has larger problems than Asperger’s Syndrome. They are her parents.
An absolute classic on BBC radio 2’s Jeremy Vine show today (an early afternoon events discussion show) where the BBC Countryfile and Extinction Rebellion campaigner Chris Packham was confronted by a climate alarmist. By any normal measure, you and I would have condemned the alarmist as the usual climate nutter wheeled on by the BBC to trot out the party line on the subject.
But no, he was roundly attacked by a vindictive, entirely obsessed Packham who cited his, and Greta’s alleged condition of Asberger syndrome, as a virtuous example of why she was correct because, of course, people who suffer from asberger syndrome are uniquely placed to ‘see’ the truth and express it in simple, abrupt terms.
No mention that “Asperger’s, is a developmental disorder characterised by significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. As a milder autism spectrum disorder (ASD), it differs from other ASDs by relatively normal language and intelligence.” (Sorry, wikipedia…..I hate using it but in this case it seems appropriate.)
In my day, and I think by current normal standards, those with significant behavioural conditions are not usually held up to be champions of cutting edged scientific debate. They may, rightly, have an input, but usually carefully monitored in case their condition clouds their judgement, which in this case, Packham’s clearly has.
Greta seems to have her condition used as justification for her beliefs, despite its inherent suggestible, and obsessive qualities science desperately attempts to avoid.
Packham naturally seizes on this to promote his own frailties, given licence by the BBC, who recognise this as a ‘victim opportunity’ to divert criticism from their institutionalised bias to catastrophic climate change.
I mean, in our SJW obsessed UK, who could possibly get away with criticising what would hitherto be referred to as two clinically insane individuals with restricted comprehension, commenting on a subject they are clearly obsessed with?
We are now being instructed on how to conduct our social, scientific, financial and political lives by people who are diagnosed as intellectually, socially and developmentally restricted.
Politicians notwithstanding!
Is it just me?
Packham has been busy
https://www.shootinguk.co.uk/news/shooting-pigeons-crows-rooks-magpies-and-canada-geese-becomes-illegal-in-uk-105771
No, I imagine most sane individuals feel just as you do.
I am now wondering if Gove is also a member of the club that Packham and Greta are in, and are now being used, to advance it as a positive. Say what you will about the BBC, it certainly doesn’t lack stupidity.
“Mr. Rogers meets the Children of the Corn”……. in theaters and Parliament now.
The lunatic have taken over the asylum (Fun Boy Three):
So Britain is responsible for global warming because they created the industrial revolution at least in Greta’s eyes. Why not set up a town in Sweden where people live the way they had to before the industrial revolution. Subsistence farming, no radio, television, tractors, cars, airplanes, modern medicine, modern dentistry, weave your own cloth, make your own clothes, feudal political structure, no contraception, open wood the only heat source etc.
Then get Greta and her ilk to agree to live in this town for 1 year. If at the end of 1 year they still argue the way they do now (assuming they are still alive) maybe we will listen to them.
Before the Industrial Revolution the people used trees to keep warm and cut down the forests.
Young Greta looks way too serious for a child, and Michael Gove looks way too surprised to be an adult.
Then again, I’m terrible at reading social cues.
Greta Thunberg, if you read this, feel free to do your bit in making reparations for the climate crimes of the British, by returning yourself to the dust that you would never have emerged from if it wasn’t for those very same crimes.
The Environmentalist Religion finally have their Children of Fatima moment…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sister_L%C3%BAcia
My how they laughed at those crazy Catholics!
The alarmist movement has finally turned into a sick cult, where the followers worship the child messiah.
This is a real modern day Branch Davidian, complete with zombie followers.
“This ongoing irresponsible behaviour will no doubt be remembered in history as one of the greatest failures of humankind.” This sounds like as good and accurate a description of the Alarmist CAGW Global Warming/Climate Change movement as I have ever heard.
Why is Wednesday Addams lecturing governments around the World?
Michael Gove is very unreliable politician who blows with the wind. His words about this silly girl are disgraceful. Instead of dressing up as an 8 year old half her age, she should be given a rainbow lorikeet’s outfit to wear as she blindly parrots the clichés of the Warmist CO2 Brigade. That there are adults like Gove who swallow her childish silliness, her ignorance of science, statistics and probability should cause real alarm.
She is like those kids who get taken to a farm, are told that milk comes from those cows and become confused.
Is there one video which shows her whole speech to Parliament ??? if so I can’t find it, only 1+ min clips…?
Don’t see the link in the article.
JPP
Instead of trying to save the world from a trivial non-problem like climate change, Greta should start closer to home with a Swedish problem, like integration of its migrant Muslim population. Sort of like following Dr. Peterson’s first rule — clean up your room!
Michael Gove and Mr Bean – are they related?
I don’t think it’s fair to compare the comedic character of a gormless, babbling, clumsy buffoon with Mr. Bean.
I have to agree
Unfair to target us Brits. I blame the Romans.