Bon voyage Greta Thunberg

thoroughly nasty comments

I think there are few of those on here, more a reasoned debate on what we hope will be the best ways forward.

It would be fantastic if fusion does come Callistemon though I probably won't be around to see it.

Not sure I understand it completely! although I've had it explained to me several times.

I think it's a shame more people on the thread aren't backing her. Don't understand the criticism. Especially from grandmothers.

I don't think posters are being nasty though - just questioning whether this publicity and the messenger are, in fact, detracting from what so many committed people are striving to do.

We're just having a discussion. Nothing nasty going on.

I wish her well and hope she stays safe but I can't say I agree with what she's doing although nobody can say it hasn't become a talking point.

team-malizia.com/en/greta-thunberg-will-cross-the-atlantic-on-malizia-ii/
The crew are highly experienced sailors and offered GT their yacht

Our Governments have not supported alternative energies over the years and the latest one even wants to invest in Fracking.

Tidal power, which is more predictable than either sun or wind, has been very successful in trials but hasn't been rolled out nationally due to lack of investment. You have to have more than an idea . You have to have support and if we don't support initiatives like Greta's and treat them as though her ideas are not valid how is anything ever going to change?

You have to use the carrot and the stick to make people's habits of a lifetime change. I'm as guilty as anyone of not considering more before every purchase or decision.

I’ve been following Greta’s campaign for a while and support her. Apparently she suffered depression in the past and stopped eating for a while, which meant she stopped growing, which is probably why she looks younger than 16.

She is amazingly articulate - how many British 16 year olds would be able to express themselves so clearly? So taking a year off school certainly won’t harm her.

I heard her interviewed this morning- she knows this gesture won’t have any impact on climate change. She also said she doesn’t have any solutions but is asking those who might- scientists and politicians- to start addressing the issue more urgently.

Governments not supporting alternative energies? well DH has been making a healthy income since retiring advising on the installation of offshore windfarms, probable 1,000 wind turbines have been installed offshore with him involved in the installation and it has been government policy to encourage this.

The situation on tidal power is somwhat more complex as to date many of the small scale tidal systems have not been resilient enough for large scale installation and the cost of keeping them up and running has been prohibitive.

Where the government has been, I would almost say criminal, is in not supporting is the Severn Barrage and the tidal lagoons along the south Wales coast. These systems only work where there are big tidal falls and rises. In the UK the Bristol channel is the only suitable place for this technology, which could provide 20% or more of our current electricity demand.

I have visited a similar tidal barrage on the Rance estuary in Brittany. It was opened in 1966 and is still running and has an indefinitely long future, the 21 plus turbines have been replaced during its life.

Greta is in my opinion, being manipulated by many, but especially by her parents. She has well rehearsed speeches in almost perfect English,no doubt written by her Father.She was on a famous Swedish talk show not long ago and said she had Asbergers, on that programme she hardly looked up at the interviewer, since then she has able to look people in the eye more.I dont like the child, but I hope she has a good journey over the Atlantic, no doubt the Swedish delegation have a stand-by boat at the ready in case of trouble.Watch the papers!

If GT is going to do anything in life, she has got to accept and live with the knowledge that people will disagree with her and criticise her actions and some will be downright unpleasant.

I truly hope that fusion is with us with in 15 years, but fusion has been promised within a decade every decade since the 1950s so I am not holding my breath. When someone says they have done it, have detailed plans for a commercial plant. I will give one cheer. When they have got all the permissions and finance and announce they have started to build it and the plant will be operational within a decade, I will give a second cheer. When it finally goes on grid and is fully operational I will give a third cheer. But until then.......

The yacht was bigger than I thought.

I just lost a longish post!
Try again.

M0nica I agree re the Severn Barrage and tidal lagoons and DH attended meetings about these years ago.

However, the people who express great concern about climate change, the Green Party, seem to be the same people who object to these schemes because of potential disturbance to wildlife habitats.

What is the answer?

I hope the child makes it through the ocean voyage with no ill-effects. I do however feel she is being exploited by the adults around her. I'm sure most of us remember being 16 - and will admit we didn't know our a** from our elbow at that age, not to mention thinking in really black and white terms when, in reality, the modern world is endless shades of gray.

I remember being 16 and I think my thinking, while being moulded by the different stage of life, was as relevant as it was at 26, 36, 46, etc. Every individual is of equal value to me, whatever stage of life they are at. This the very age when she can fight for what she feels strongly about. Perhaps the odd young person who makes a million in their teens should not be allowed to keep it or the very young people who helped the resistance didn't know what mattered to them, or Joan of Arc who died at 19. I do think it's condescending to suppose our principles are higher, stronger, whatever you mean Saetana, just because we are older.

To be fair to Saetana Mark Twain's quote is quite relevant “When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.”

Life experience and just the passing of time does tend to modify our "set in concrete" youthful views. No criticism of Greta's convictions, just an acknowledgement that time tends to bring reality as opposed to idealism into focus.

And M0nica I totally agree, the resistance to using the Severn barrage is so misguided. It is the only viable way for us to generate tidal electricty, if you're not willing to use it then you need to pipe down otherwise you are more aligned to Violet Elizabeth Bott who will just "thcream and thcream and thcream 'till I'm thick" Protests without suggestions for resolutions are as ineffectual as a chocolate teapot!

Greta Thunberg is being used as a catspaw by unscrupulous, single issue lobbyists who are the equivalent of seventeenth century Puritans. They know they can attack anyone who criticises her as she is autistic and, ostensibly, a little girl.

The child, like many of the modern snowflake generation, wishes to tell her elders and betters what to do on the basis of selective information, no context, prejudiced education, no life experience, under the influence of flattery and manipulation of others and no responsibility for the consequences of her actions. In addition, she has never had to keep herself, live independently, pay taxes to support the state or others or do anything self sacrificing.

The idea that we should be listening to a child who will, in all probability, never be able to live alone, is ludicrous.

I don’t understand why so many are critical of this young woman. Maybe listen to what she is saying - she has explained her own views- do you not think she believes what she is saying and that it is an important message for us all? She is old enough to have her own mind. She has answered her critics but no, we can sit back and smear her because of her youth and say she doesn’t know what she is talking about, she only wants to make money, as if we are some sort of font of all knowledge . Listen to the message - we are destroying the planet and let’s all put pressure on our governments and work together to do something now.

Disgusting Brexit financier Arron Banks has made a hideous tweet about Greta.

metro.co.uk/2019/08/15/aaron-banks-tweets-joke-greta-thunberg-yacht-accident-10574587/

I don't think she wants to make money - I think some of the people around her do though. She's become quite the celebrity and they're cashing in on that.

As for listening to her - is she really saying anything that we don't already know? That the experts haven't been working on for years? That young people haven't been taught at school and at home? I don't think she is. Is she doing any harm? Of course not - her celebrity status, like all the other celebrities who speak out on various causes, gives her a mouthpiece by which to spread the message. Is sailing to a conference on a boat that no-one else can access a good way of showing how we can travel across the world using alternative means? No, it's a (well meaning) publicity stunt in my view.

Just what you'd expect from the scum that is Aaron Banks.

But publicity stunts are not about everyday reality are they? They are about getting publicity - and it’s working.

No I know - I just said that!

My point is though - is she saying or doing anything beyond publicity stunts that hasn't been said/done for years? I don't think so - she's not changed my mind about anything, nor that of anyone I know, so I'm not sure her publicity stunts are making any meaningful changes.

Sorry, I got interrupted there. I don't mean that just because she hasn't changed my mind she's not making a change - I mean that I don't see any meaningful, practical changes taking place as a result of her stunts and her celebrity profile. She's just one more very well meaning person talking about what we already know and what experts have been working on for years.