Greta Thunberg, a Swedish school going girl who came to light for all the right reason - advocating need of radical policy change to counter adverse impact of global warming or Climate Change.
Her approach : Top-down approach (strong legislation, green policies etc)
* Getting under the skin,
* antagonizing people,
* belittling others,
* claiming moral superiority.
* Her speech at UN "How dare you?"
There is an African proverb : “If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Thunberg seems to believe in former ignoring the latter.
Positive elements of her approach :
* we have short time window
* grave consequences awaiting before us
* tackling the bull by its horns
Limitation of her approach :
Why this approach is not fruitful, unsustainable & self-damaging ?
* confrontational - only my way is correct
* you cannot anger the very people whom you expect favor from - not always
* climate change is not merely a political problem. At its core it is behavioral issue - underpinning socio-cultural, economic dimensions.
* political reform can go only to a certain extent - it cannot & should not interfere in what & how much people eat, what you wear, how much AC you use in your bedroom or how many times you bath etc etc.
* we operate under complex politico-economy model - not easy to transform overnight
* need to analyse impact on every stakeholder eg employment in petroleum industry
What should be right approach? GANDHIAN APPROACH
Gandhi aptly reminded that “As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world - that is the myth of the atomic age - as in being able to remake ourselves”
* change of heart of both electors & elected - consumers
* appeal for lifestyle change
* self-led example - minimalism, vegetarianism etc (preach what you practice)
* true power speaks softly
* art of persuasion - dialogue, discussion, debate
* it has to be a persistent awareness movement - only then a day come when “A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.”
* Margaret Thatcher, in her Downing Street Years, says: “Consensus is a process of abandoning all beliefs, principles, values and policies in search of something in which no one believes but to which no one objects.”
Why it is correct approach ?
Fighting CC requires fine-tuning our habit at microscopic level & not just big bang reform eg avoiding overcooking of food, repairing of old tap to reduce leakage of water, prioritize using staircase over lifts, reducing margin on printing paper etc.
PS: The article is not at all intended to demonize Greta Thunberg or deify Gandhi.
