Greta Thunberg - 15-year-old climate activist at COP24

Last summer, many countries suffered from extreme weather conditions and disasters. In Sweden, more than 50 forest fires occurred all over the country in July. I was sad to see burning forests on the Internet, remembering how I felt at ease to see forests from the airplane when I came to Northern Europe before. It was obvious that climate change had gone too far.

I read about Greta Thunberg for the first time in September when she went on school strike for the climate, sitting outside the Swedish parliament building to urge politicians to take actions. I thought her courageous, but my heart ached at the same time because I realized again how serious climate change had become, triggering a young student to take such an action.

Last week, Greta made a speech at COP24 in Poland. There she criticized world leaders who were too scared of being unpopular and didn’t take essential actions for climate change. I thought what she said was right.

As a climate activist, Greta leads an environmentally-friendly life. She went to Poland by an electric car instead of airplane. With her influence, the whole family has become vegan. Her mother is an opera singer and came to Japan for concerts before, but now she sings only in Sweden to reduce carbon emissions. When I saw Greta in another video “Greta & Svante Thunberg – Straight Talk (Improved Audio)” in YouTube, I noticed she had her own water bottle though PET bottles were prepared on the table. At the end of this video, I heard her whispering to her father “Practice as you preach.” Her consistent practice for environmental conservation is admirable.　

I knew well that traveling by airplane is harmful for the environment, but I still traveled to Finland and Sweden last autumn. After experiencing extraordinary hot summer and reading about natural disasters that occurred in other districts in Japan, I was worried that it would become more difficult to fly abroad in the future due to climate change and resulting disasters. So, in September, I decided to travel there before it would become too late and did it, though I had qualms.

It is difficult for me to lead an environmentally-friendly life completely. As for food, I try to be a vegan, but I still eat some foods that contain dairy products especially in holiday seasons. I have to remember Greta’s words.

In her speech, she said, “You say you love your children above all else, and yet you are stealing their future in front of their very eyes.” Maybe this was meant for world leaders, but I got embarrassed. All the adults in developed countries should hear her words (especially adults in Japan, where TV programs introduce gourmet dishes every day instead of explaining the cause of climate change and people enjoy eating meat without knowing or thinking of its burden on the environment). I don’t have any children but have often wondered how people who have children and grandchildren can be so indifferent about climate change. Greta’s speech struck me indeed.