Greta Thunberg wants to pass the megaphone

How can you be an activist when you cannot travel anywhere with difficulty and are not allowed to gather to protest? The dilemma arose during the pandemic, says Greta Thunberg, and that was the origin of her book The Climate Book, which is now out.

– And when you have to talk, you only have a certain number of minutes and you can’t go deep into social media. She says writing a book was a very cool thing in this situation.

The intent is that the anthology should present a broad and in-depth picture of the climate crisis. In addition to Thunberg’s own ideas, the book contains 100 texts from many experts, philosophers, and writers, such as scholar Michael Oppenheimer, economist Thomas Piketty, and author Naomi Klein.

The book’s authors are not shy about criticizing capitalism and global injustice. Readers anticipate the message that in the Western world we can continue to live as usual if we build more electric cars, they may be waiting in vain.

– But maybe that’s when you need to read this. This is the opportunity to dig deeper and explain why we haven’t been able to find a neo-colonial solution to the climate crisis. I take this opportunity to go a little bit harder and bring up things we probably haven’t talked about much before, says Greta Thunberg.

I will not go to Egypt

These days, world leaders gather in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, for the COP27 climate conference. Greta Thunberg will not go there. She believes that COP meetings are often opportunities for world leaders to score PR points and engage in the “greenwash”. And going to summits and meeting world leaders isn’t something you particularly enjoy, either.

Nobody really wants to go to events like this and pull the pants on those in power, do they? This is not something we do willingly. We do it because someone has to do it, and because very few people take their chance to do it, she said.

And all her previous meetings with those in power didn’t give her more hope for the future either. Instead, they made her more pessimistic, Thunberg explains.

It’s hard to believe some of the things world leaders and heads of state have said when the microphone doesn’t turn on when retold. Like “If I knew what we had in common when we signed the Paris Agreement, I wouldn’t sign it,” or “You children are more knowledgeable in this field than I am.” The lack of knowledge that exists among the most powerful people in the world is shocking.

“It’s time for delivery”

Four years after her school strike reverberated around the world, Greta Thunberg is beginning to feel the need to step aside. “Listen to the flag,” was the battle cry at first. I’ve expanded it over time.

We will also hear stories and experiences from the people most affected by the climate crisis. It’s time to hand the speaker over to those who already have stories to tell. She says we need new perspectives.

In the beginning, it was also about the future, saving the world for future generations. But by getting to know people in different parts of the world, I’m beginning to understand how the climate crisis is really destroying people’s lives today, she explains.

– Then there will be more double standards when people in Sweden say, for example, that we will be able to adapt and we should not be afraid of what will happen in the future.

More recently, a particular type of climate protest has been focused on when activists, among other things, dumped food on famous artworks or plastered themselves on highways. Greta Thunberg speaks cautiously when brought up.

Many people associate everyone who deals with environmental issues to be the same movement. They are all far from the same and there are very different methods used. So it’s hard to get everyone together, she says.

At the same time, it welcomes further protests that have led to civil disobedience.

I think civil disobedience, if we do it right and no one gets hurt, is something we should start embracing more. But then it is important not to do more harm than good. We are in an emergency situation and sometimes it feels like people are a little focused on the short term when it comes to issues like this.

Want to study more

Thunberg, now 19, is in her final year of high school. It’s not easy to balance school, book project, and everything else, but it is possible. What you will do after graduation has not yet been decided.

– we will see. If I had to choose today, I would choose further study. Preferably, it has to do with social issues, she says.

Anyway, she intends to engage in some sort of activity in the future as well. Writing is also something you love to carry on.

– I love that. It just feels like something you can do no matter what you do too. We need to get the message across now, fast, and we need to reach a lot of people. I think anyone who can write and has the opportunity to do so, should use it to raise awareness of the climate crisis.