Strikingly different views on climate change protest

I READ the words of two grandparents recently who wrote about the school strikes for climate change.

One was an Australian grandfather who wrote a letter in Thursday’s Bulletin, the other a 93-year-old British great-grandfather whose words were published in assorted media outlets.

The former dismissed the protesters as vulnerable children who had been manipulated by others, notably The Greens or ALP.

He criticised parents who condoned the actions of their striking children by questioning their rights to have control over them. He also called for the parents to be named and judged by the public and child safety authorities.

The British great-grandfather expressed very different views.

He said the outrage of the young strikers was justified and that it was the older generations who had done terrible things to the planet.

He said the protests were encouraging and dismissed critics of the student movement as “cynics”. He added, “we older ones should take notice of what they say”, implying he would also support the parents of the strikers.

So who are these two men? The first is a regular contributor to the letters page of the Bulletin. The other is Sir David Attenborough.

Which one knows more about the environment and has views many would trust?

No surprise that it’s Attenborough. What a shame his views aren’t shared by more people. YVETTE DEMPSEY, CARRARA