Greta: a brave stance or hypocritical stunt?
Eco-protester Greta Thunberg should be applauded for not sailing on the multi-million-pound specialist racing yacht Malizia II for her return trip across the Atlantic to attend the climate conference in Madrid. Instead, she returned on the £500,000 catamaran La Vagabonde. Only problem is, it’s been reported that its skipper’s flight to the U.S. (to help Greta sail to Portugal) produced the same amount of carbon emissions that the sea voyage hoped to save. The teenager maintained contact with her fans via the latest satellite technology and onboard wi-fi. This relied on polluting technology including tons of rocket fuel to launch weather monitoring, communication and GPS satellites. I hope Greta might learn enough to grasp the hypocritical nature of her lifestyle — but the trouble is, she hasn’t been to school for quite a while.
DON TROWER, Braintree, Essex. I AM appalled by the attacks on the courageous Greta Thunberg. She has done more than anyone else to bring the attention of the world to the danger of our self-destruction unless we act to tackle climate change immediately. yes, the skipper of her yacht flew to the U.S. to pick her up for her return leg, but it is unfair to claim this cancels out the carbon emissions saved by Greta’s journey because the plane would have flown to New york anyway.
TIM ROBERTS, Bath. GReTA traversed the Atlantic to save the planet. But when she was in North America, did she lie down in front of logging machinery or visit the border between Belize and Guatemala, where jungle is being hacked down for farms?
CHRIS DAY, Crowthorne, Berks. A SIMPLe question for Greta: if we achieve a zero carbon output by 2035, what do we have to replace oil and gas? We would require another power source to propel cars, vans, lorries, ships and planes. If this is not attainable, then our world will grind to a halt. Wind, solar and wave power are fine on paper, but what will keep our country moving?
STAN GASTON, Rothesay, Isle of Bute. I COULDN’T care less about climate change any more because so many people I’ve met can’t be bovvered. Despite my worries about it, I might as well not fret any more but just go with the flow. I’m going to get into my car, drive about in it, rev it up and down the road and sit in it idling the engine. Am I bovvered? I’m going to put up outside lights that shine all night and flash into the houses opposite. Am I bovvered? I’m going to chop down as many trees as I can so I get a better view of the sea. Am I bovvered? And when I’ve done all that I will wait for the sea to rise and wash away everything. Climate change? Bring it on. I’m not bovvered.
JANE COOKE, Bournemouth, Dorset.