Hi Everyone!
Welcome back to Green World, where today I wanted to talk about why people
didn't act sooner about the climate crisis, when we have known about this
issue for decades. I asked myself this too, and it wasn't until I read the
chapter about it in Greta Thunberg's book that I started to understand the
reasons behind why action was not taken sooner, and why this crisis has been
allowed to escalate as far as it has.
As someone who has only been on the planet for 14 years, a part of me does
resent people around long before I was for not having acted on an issue that
they knew would continue to affect people around the world. They knew it was
not an issue that would go away, so why didn't they act, when it was easier to
do so? Changing our now very ingrained habits is so difficult, whereas fifty
years ago, ways of life could have been more easily influenced.
Well, there are a few reasons why action was not taken to combat climate change sooner.
Well, there are a few reasons why action was not taken to combat climate change sooner.
1. Fossil Fuel companies
Unfortunately, people were lied to. Fossil fuel companies, let's face it,
wanted money, and everyone suddenly no longer wanting to use their business
anymore would have been just a little inconvenient. They took tactics from the
tobacco industry, in convincing people that they were not in the wrong, that
the science is uncertain, and so much more. This was done through
advertisements, campaigns and misrepresentation of evidence. They funded
research to deflect from the issue, told people they needed to manage their
personal carbon footprint and even questioned the credibility of climate
scientists.
They fed into and influenced politicians and ultimately the public, creating a warped view of this crisis, and delaying action being taken and decisions being made.
They fed into and influenced politicians and ultimately the public, creating a warped view of this crisis, and delaying action being taken and decisions being made.
2. Infrastructure and renewables
Fifty years ago we just didn't have the infrastructure and renewable energy
technologies to sustain a fossil fuel free life. They could have been fazed
out but the solar, wind, geothermal, biofuel and other renewable technologies
were not as advanced and developed. Transitioning to renewables is much easier
now that these technologies are at their best yet.
3. The science wasn't AS advanced
The science was there. But we didn't have the last however many years of
evidence that this issue is real and it is happening now, today. The science
is complicated, and most people probably don't really understand it, but now,
thanks to many campaigns, educational documentaries and books, more people
have a basic understanding of what is happening, and therefore a basic
understanding of the extent of it.
4. Climate change is affecting people now
It isn't a thing of the future anymore, and maybe that's why we are beginning
to wake up. Maybe that's why we are beginning to take action. People today are
feeling the effects of climate change, people today are feeling the effects of
rising sea levels, of more extreme natural disasters and the extent of
wildfires. People are living through this now. And I'm in a very
privileged position where I can say that so far, climate change has not
affected my life in any major way. But there are so many people, especially in
developing countries who are feeling the effects of climate change
today.
We don't want to be the next generation not to act. We don't want to be the ones
who failed to turn it round. This is our only chance to fight climate change, on
both a personal and community level. Through managing our own choices to
protesting, this is an issue that we can find solutions to, and one which we can
continue to fight. Let's be the generation who ACT.
Your Green World Blog Team💚
p.s. thank you so much for all of your support recently - it's been
incredible!!
Sources:
The Climate Book by Greta Thunberg
Images:
This image is owned by a blog editor
The Climate Book by Greta Thunberg
Images:
This image is owned by a blog editor
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