For the Greta good

Greta Thunberg and climate change

As an autistic person, I am always pleased when I see other people with autism who are successful. David Byrne, lead singer and guitarist with Talking Heads, and TV wildlife presenter Chris Packham, whose documentary Asperger’s and me was shown on BBC in 2017 are two I look up to.

There is no Planet B

I am making an exception for Greta Thunberg.

I find that a lot of the attention on this 16 year old climate protester focuses more on her personality than on the cause she is promoting. Some focuses on her having autism, others focus on her being vegan. All of this takes the focus away from what has happened to the world’s climate. Air pollution, deforestation, the loss of wetlands are all part of an environmental disaster brought about by this generation, my generation, ignoring the warnings. This world is all we have, there is no Planet B.

We need to cut down on fossil fuels. There is no need to have your home heated to t-shirt temperatures, turn it down and wear a pullover. Car share where possible. Use public transport, it will get better and more frequent as demand arises. Eat foods in season and buy locally  sourced foods. There is a lot of little things we can do.

I have a feeling that things have already gone too far and that we are now into damage control. That the youth of the world are horrified is understandable, look at what we are leaving them. All of us should follow the example of Greta Thunberg, whether we are autistic or not.

It is over six years since I mentioned climate change in a blog. That was over on the wibsite, a community of bloggers, and I blogged on the theology of the environment, and I pointed out that in his Bible commentaries 16th century theologian John Calvin had taught about our need to protect the world. Ian, another blogger on the wibsite who attended an Orthodox Church in Australia, pointed out that the Church Fathers also taught this. Looking after the planet has always been a Christian teaching.

Sadly the wibsite is no more and my blogs from that period can no longer be accessed, but my message now is the same as what it was then, our legacy is what we leave for future generations, please let our legacy be a living planet and not a dead one.