I doubt they’re doing this for purely altruistic reasons though.

Damn those kids for not being perfect, eh?

Right lets call the whole thing off, it’s obvious this is just an attempt to get get more likes and follows. They certainly havn’t thought it through enough to have lead 100% perfect lives so that they can earn the right to protest.

to have lead 100% perfect lives so that they can earn the right to protest.

Spin that the other way around – would you have any redlines about personal habits/behaviour that would make someone a bit of a hypocrite if you were protesting about climate change?

In my example on the other page it was the young lass organising a protest in which a technician on near minimum wage commuting 4 miles each way in a 1tr car was being called a ***ker by those picketing the gates who herself had done just shy of 20000 miles of leisure air travel in the previous 8 weeks. Which I think is a reasonable red line.

Cynical adults whose lifestyles have caused the problem accusing kids of being hypocrites because they’re not perfect. If you wanted to prove their point you couldn’t do a better job.

Well if they all fill out their personal history forms I’m sure we can go through them in detail.

Abusing people going to work is not on for anyone, that is something they should be spoken to about – but not listening to people protesting?

Some people seem dead set on undermining the current youth, for caring too much, not enough, about the wrong things etc.

Well if they all fill out their personal history forms I’m sure we can go through them in detail.

Abusing people going to work is not on for anyone, that is something they should be spoken to about – but not listening to people protesting?

Some people seem dead set on undermining the current youth, for caring too much, not enough, about the wrong things etc.

All good points and I’m glad they care – but you didn’t answer the question. Is there a redline for you of what would be a hypocritical environmental protester?

Well turn up with a burning oil drum and fur coat would be one.

Is there a redline for you of what would be a hypocritical environmental protester?

What relevance does that have to the issue of CHILDREN protesting about the destruction of their futures?

As for a hypocritical environmental protester – that would be me, for many reasons that I won’t list here. But I think I still have the right to expect my government to put more emphasis on climate chage and less on feathering its own nest, and that ignoring those issues is a gross dereliction of its responsibilities.

What relevance does that have to the issue of CHILDREN protesting about the destruction of their futures?

Depends which protesters you are talking about. The cute 9 year old making the speech fair enough. But the 16/17/18 year olds there – by that age they are making some lifestyle choices which you’d hope would be in line with what they are protesting about. Again referring to the protest at my place last week – I think as a staff body we support their intentions and also appreciate they are still young and learning. But someone went round the boarding house and turned the dorm (bedroom) lights off after the protesters went out to do their thing. Well over half had left them on. It’s small stuff and I don’t think you should have to be whiter than white to protest but own goals do rather defuse the message.

What relevance does that have to the issue of CHILDREN protesting about the destruction of their futures?

It’s good they care, but it won’t make any difference. In a few years the vast majority will be doing like most other people “ruining” the future for their children. Climate change is driven by population growth 7.5B and rising. If the kids are prepared to commit themselves to limited travel, massive cutbacks in consumerism, hugely authoritarian rules regarding population growth and their lifestyle maybe it’ll make a small difference. But mostly the won’t they’ll just carry on as people always have.

But mostly the won’t they’ll just carry on as people always have.

😀

Climate change is driven by population growth 7.5B and rising

Only if you believe that CO2 emissions are equally distributed.

Check out Greta Thunburg on YouTube.

No car and sharing a house obviously helps. As does no commute other than by bike. Low consumerism and no flights also help.
God only knows how I can get it lower.
I can’t afford to eat more locally sourced foodstuffs, and that which I do eat tends to be eggs, pigeon, pheasant and bacon from local farmers/gamekeepers, so not exactly staples of my diet.

http://www.flickr.com/gp/146501625@N06/3S7j51

In a few years the vast majority will be doing like most other people

They will if governments don’t take action. The people trying to pick holes by looking for hypocrisy are missing the point. Voluntary individual action will not halt climate change, only global macro-economic and political action will. The only individual action required is to accept what the scientists and policy makers decide is required in order to turn this around.

They will if governments don’t take action. The people trying to pick holes by looking for hypocrisy are missing the point. Voluntary individual action will not halt climate change, only global macro-economic and political action will. The only individual action required is to accept what the scientists and policy makers decide is required in order to turn this around.

Fundamentally disagree. Whilst clearly government scale change is the vital factor a lot of that change will be enforcement through regulation of changes that citizens can voluntarily make now (either in a private or professional capacity). It is also about the message – the next generation is ready and accepting of big change and will vote for you because of rather than despite your green agenda. A youth not only campaigning for significant change but demonstrably doing all they can in their limited way as a young citizen is a far more powerful message.

A youth not only campaigning for significant change but demonstrably doing all they can in their limited way as a young citizen is a far more powerful message.

Limited being key there, they are still under the control of their parents and still living with the decisions their parents made on where they live, go to school etc.

Some common sense is required and conversations should be had but some of the bashing is just typical knee jerk reaction to some of the older generation being called out.

Whilst clearly government scale change is the vital factor a lot of that change will be enforcement through regulation of changes that citizens can voluntarily make now (either in a private or professional capacity).

Well, quite, and the problem is that governments do the regulation, not children. So what’s needed is for government to wake up to its reposnsibilities, and it’s a sad shame on them that it takes a bunch of kids to point out the obvious.

and it’s a sad shame on them

Stop trying to shift the blame. It’s a sad shame on us; our generation (collectively). For better or worse we live in a democracy – if our generation(s) had cared more collectively we would have elected ourselves a government that prioritised environmental issues more. It is our fault that parties with that agenda have been marginalised. If it was not electoral suicide successive governments would have had more courage. We must stop this bashing of government and thinking it is someone else’s fault other than our own.

We must stop this bashing of government and thinking it is someone else’s fault other than our own.

Well, self-evidently it is our generation that has caused the problem and has also prolonged a FPTP system that has put us at the mercy of a selfish clique. However, that doesn’t alter the fact that today, right now, a crowd of kids are acting responsibly, and a powerful elite are not.

Letter in the Guardian today saying that, given the impact the school run has on car usage, rather than striking, the kids should be campaigning that their parents walk them to school .

rather than striking, the kids should be campaigning that their parents walk them to school .

And that would have the same impact to global climate change?
And you know that the striking kids actually get lifts to school?
And you know the kids could strike for global climate change AND get parents to walk them to school?

And that would have the same impact to global climate change

Well at the moment, their strikes aren’t achieving much concrete reduction in carbon emissions that I can see. I think point the bloke is making is that to tackle climate change we are all going to have to take practical steps that affect our daily lives. Holding a demo is easy really, actually doing something often isn’t. Maybe the message is do something, don’t just shout about it.

And you know the kids could strike for global climate change AND get parents to walk them to school?

Yes they could, but as far as we know most of them are doing only one of these things.

Wasn’t my letter BTW.

Maybe the message is do something, don’t just shout about it.

It’s called “leverage”. If children can shame governments into action(*), that will have enormously more impact than anything they can do on their own.

*yes, I know that’s a strange idea

Maybe the message is do something, don’t just shout about it.

Voluntary individual action will not prevent climate change. We’ve been trying that for 30 years and have completely failed. The only thing that will solve it is political action translated into macroeconomic reforms which result in fossil fuels being left in the ground and renewables being used instead. If our political leaders will not take such action, then it is up to the people to force them to, by any peaceful means necessary. Funny how the kids seem to understand this but many adults do not.

To be shamed you have to be listening. The 15th March was a date chosen internationally rather than for the UK’s benefit but in the UK literally no one in Westminster was listening on Friday. Brexit has to blow over before their voice will be heard in any meaningful way.

I do applaud this generation showing they want change. But they need to show they are ready to accept change too and that does mean living by sustainable principles to show it is possible. I work in a boarding school and we had about 60 attend the strike/protest. I’m glad they went. We did have a fair bit of grumbling when we refused to book some of them taxis for their 1.5 mile journey from school to the station to catch the train. To their credit most of them got it in the end – but they are kids, programmed to be self centred and not consider their choices are also part of the problem.

rather than striking, the kids should be campaigning that their parents walk them to school .

Since when did a rational suggestion have any impact on the holy trinity of cars, “child safety” and busy parents that creates the culture of the school run?