Though the Climate Strike recently came to an end, an onslaught of criticism toward the cause—especially toward climate activist Greta Thunberg—has only gained traction. The president of France, Emmanuel Macron, recently denounced Thunberg’s message as “very radical opinions likely to antagonize our societies.” This is more so in response to how Thunberg recently accused world leaders of “treason” on issues of disrupting climate and thus, filed a complaint before the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, against five countries. France was one of those countries. Macron has asserted that as France is actively reducing their coal emissions, implying that Thunberg’s vilification of France is somewhat disingenuous. On a broader scale, this idea of disingenuity seems to perpetuate many opinions of the teenage activist. In summary, Thunberg has been largely scorned for scaremongering and simply being a figurehead for politicians who have their own motives for promoting “hysteria” in the face of “climate change.” More specifically, these motives seem to consistently align with the “leftist agenda,” purported to be spearheaded by children when in fact, they’re not.
Students essentially skipping school on a wide scale is a contentious point. Some schools even announced that if enrolled students did not attend school in favor of participating in climate strikes, these students were excused from repercussions. Others accepted a written signature from mayors in their districts as an appropriate excuse for students to “play truant.” Supporters call this a brave, earnest response to an impending catastrophe: a catastrophe that needs more attention drawn towards it. Others call it a deranged pursuit of ideas and ideals that are both fake and unrepresentative of the student bodies protesting.
On the other hand, 19 people were arrested last Friday for obstructing a street in Atlanta. In their defense, one protester said, “I’m out here because I believe that we have an imminent climate catastrophe...We want to be on the right side of history, and to be able to say that we did everything we could.”
Darlon Riviere - Staff Writer