People Make Fools Of Themselves For Bullying A 16-Year-Old Activist Who Chose To Travel For 13 Days Instead Of Flying 10 Hours
Legendary teenage climate change activist Greta Thunberg is causing waves again. This time, literally. She is currently sailing from Plymouth in England to the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York on a carbon-neutral, zero carbon emissions racing yacht. The boat travel should take about two weeks, so the schoolgirl hopes to make it in time for the climate change conference which starts on September 23.
The reason the 16-year-old Swedish schoolgirl is traveling by sea is that she loves the environment so much, she refuses to fly on airplanes. This is just plain awesome. Unfortunately, some people don’t think so and lambasted her lifestyle choices because they don’t agree with the message she’s sending. Some made fun of her because they think she just wants attention, while others think there’s nothing wrong with flying and rubbed their opinions in her face. Be sure to scroll down to the very end of this post to read Bored Panda’s interview with Marc Moran, who defended Thunberg on Twitter.
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Teenage climate change activist Greta Thunberg is ‘making a splash’ by sailing to New York from Plymouth, England
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“There’s always going to be people who don’t understand or accept the united science, and I will just ignore them as I’m only acting and communicating on the science,” Thunberg called out global warming deniers right before setting sail. Four days after leaving Plymouth, the climate change spokesperson tweeted that she wasn’t feeling seasick yet and joked that being on the boat was like “camping on a roller coaster.”
Some people started making fun of the 16-year-old girl
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16-year-old Thunberg is sailing across the Atlantic Ocean on a 60-foot long (that’s 18 meters) yacht with three other people, among whom are her father Svante, and experienced captain Boris Herrmann. The yacht, called the Malizia II, is powered by sunlight and has underwater turbines. Ironically, this marvel of modern eco-friendly engineering lacks a toilet.
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Thunberg’s journey by boat was well-received by many environmentally-conscious individuals, However, there were some who called the teenager out. One Twitter user explained how she had “0%” guilt for booking “long haul flights” for her family. Another made fun of her getting on the cover of GQ magazine for telling people to “recycle jam jars.” Others still criticized Thunberg for pulling a stunt for media attention because, allegedly, a crew will have to fly to New York to sail the yacht back to England.
The teenager has drawn a lot of praise for her work from politicians. But she’s drawn a lot of ire as well. Especially recently. In July, she gave a speech at the French parliament, which was boycotted by some lawmakers who called her a “guru of the apocalypse”, a “prophetess in shorts” and the “Justin Bieber of ecology.” However, the teenager is used to ignoring criticism from climate change skeptics.
According to the UN, “the last four years were the four hottest on record, and winter temperatures in the Arctic have risen by 3°C since 1990.” Furthermore, the UN warns that “sea levels are rising, coral reefs are dying, and we are starting to see the life-threatening impact of climate change on health, through air pollution, heatwaves and risks to food security.”
That makes me want to do more in the fight against climate change. If I could, I’d sail everywhere on a yacht. But for now, I’ll keep on recycling jam jars, walking instead of driving, hugging trees when nobody’s looking, and growing vegetables and herbs in my tiny garden. What about you? What are you doing to help the environment? Share your thoughts about Thunberg and climate change in the comments below.
Thunberg’s fans rushed to defend her
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Twitter user Marc Moran, who goes by the handle moranmarc13 and who rushed to Thunberg’s defense online, told Bored Panda in an interview his thoughts about the situation, the activist’s views, and climate change.
“I 100% percent agree with Greta’s message and her views. I feel that as the human race, we have spent hundreds of years, particularly in the last century, making incredible technological breakthroughs. There is no doubt that the very concept of a plane is a mechanical marvel — we have no business being up in the sky traveling at that speed, humans weren’t born being able to do that. Plastic was only properly commercialized and mass-produced around 100 years ago, and it’s easy to see why we used it so much; it is cheap to produce, long-lasting and has a massive range of use cases.
However, when things like plastic and air travel were created, we were naive as a human race and did not realize the impact it has on the environment and our world. Our issue now is that we are allowing our naivety to turn into ignorance, which is what Greta tries so hard to highlight. Of course, not everyone has the time or money to travel by sea as Greta has — and that isn’t what she’s asking for either. However, by doing this she has contributed to the conversation. My own tweet on the subject has been seen 25 million times — if only 5% of those people cut a little bit of plastic from their next weekly shop, that’s 1.25 million shoppers helping to contribute to a less plastic future.”
In Moran’s opinion, people make fun of Thunberg “for two main reasons — shame and intimidation.” Moran also added that “for a 16-year-old girl to tell people older than her that they are ruining the planet and need to change their ways will most definitely hit a bum note with them, as she is helping to contribute to change that they themselves have caused and refused to help undo. I think, unfortunately, although this should never be the case, the fact that Greta has Asperger’s will mean that some scumbags will always disagree with her.”
Moran also had some advice for all the climate change skeptics out there: “Open a window, turn on the news and look at what is happening to the planet through deforestation and the constant use of irresponsible materials. Have a look at the ice caps and polar bears and realize it is all of us causing it. There is no such thing as selective climate meltdown — if we don’t stop it, we will all be affected! So please, don’t buy as much plastic, try to buy used instead of new if you can, get reusable water bottles and containers instead of buying a new bottle of water each day, eat a little less meat and use sustainable travel where you can!
Greta has recently collaborated on a new song with British band ‘The 1975’, which will be the opening song to their new album ‘Notes on a Conditional Form’. I would urge any climate skeptics, or anyone who hasn’t yet heard it, check it out now.”
Moran also told Bored Panda that in an ironic twist of fate, he would actually soon be flying to New York for a “family holiday”, the same city that Thunberg is currently en route to.
There is no excuse for people to belittle this girl for her choice to sail for something she believes in. If you want to fly, then fly. She isn’t stopping you so there is no need to be an asshole about it. Just leave her alone.
@aurora50 Germany doesnt have Mag lev. They are ICE 4 Models. Many are Diesel/Electric hybrids. The pure electric ones are powered by coal power plants due to the high level of energy needs. The cost per passenger is less on the diesel/electric models than the pure electric ones.
Who on earth downvoted this. I wholly agree with this. No need to slam people who are helping you
I agree, but then the same stance has to be taken on the flip side. If you want to leave her be and let her do her thing then you also need to not put her on the cover of a men's magazine and let the men be. Its a 2 way street. I think its impressive she can do the trip. But also hypocritical that she took a train (coal) instead of a car (far less emissions).
Trains move more product, and more weight, further distances, with fewer emissions, than cars or trucks. A thousand people can move on a train with a much lower carbon impact than 1000 people moving by cars!
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
...nope, electric trains...often mag-lev as well.
what about the 8 member crew that goes with her only to FLY back and causing more enviromental damage than when shed be flying alone??also do you support 16yr old goin to syria cuz of what a demonic book tells em to believe in?is that your logic
they are not shaming her for what she belives in. They are shaming her for double standards. She's against plastics? Well I hope she has a wood hull, not a composite one...or is it? Does she have a toilet and a (hopefully, closed-loop) bathroom there, even? List could go on indefinetly. "low footprint" my ass.
Do you know the difference between "low" and "zero"?
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Alpha Puck, where are these coal powered trains? Is it the 1800s? As for "letting the men be", you're basically saying caring for the environment and men can't go together. Bizarre.
Most trains that are passenger-type are Diesel/Electric. So the diesel engine creates electricity and the electricity powers the motor for the wheels. This is what MANY of the ICE trains are powered by. The new ICE 4 models are pure electric, but that electricity is produced by Germany's 19 coal power plants. Renewable energy is used to power residential areas since they take a lower and steadier supply of energy. The reason why there are many hybrid diesel/electric engines is that if you are a pure diesel engine, you have to pay an additional diesel tax. Im a German immigrant and am happy to support cleaner energy, but protesting emissions while riding these trains and taking boats that require a metric shit ton of gas powered equipment to make is the epitome of ironic.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
It's wonderful that she is raising more awareness and she should not be bullied for it. I'm angry at the adults in her world who are using her for their own political agendas. Because of the short notice of her trip, they are having to fly over the crews that will bring back the high tech racing yacht she is sailing in. That alone takes away from the issue she is trying to make people aware of and makes it more of a publicity stunt.
These "commentators" have made careers and money out of generating outrage. Giving them any attention, like this article, is playing right into their hands. We should dismiss them for the trolls they are and focus on the positives of what Greta is doing.
I disagree. You should call out all the idiots that deny that we are demolishing the environment in which we live. This girl didn't sugercoat it when she told the press that she won't waste any time on speaking to the American president about important things like the environment and climate change. Perhaps that is what all these men got crazy about; A 16 year old girl calling their esteemed leader too incompetent to understand the gravity of the situation.
America is only responsible for 15% of all ocean pollution. So paper straws, million dollar yachts, and children aren't going to save us. We have to hold the countries in Africa and China responsible for the destruction of the other 85% of the eco system. We could all stop plastic use in America, drive teslas, switch to completely renewable power sources and it wouldn't make a dent in how bad things are.
I think you are right. Those defensive responses had a familiar Trumpian flavor to them, though I don't actually know who those particular old white men are. I will look them up, though.
These particular professional trolls are different from your garden variety ignorant/brainwashed climate deniers etc.. They have fully monetized outrage by taking what they know are bullshit, egregious, offensive positions on any issue to drive attention. Attention leads to profile leads to newspaper coloums, speaking opps etc. It is worth remembering that the media are also in a faustian pact with them, as they know articles about these dumb views drive clicks which drives ad revenue which keeps them afloat. The solution to the professional troll problem is to kill their source of revenue, which is ultimately attention
I agree. It is not about feeding the trolls, it is about voicing the truth so that others reading can see it
Me, as an over 40 year old man with three kids, all of them girls, am so proud and happy of all the young people fighting for a good cause. Our generation has been selfish and destructive and we didn't care for those following. We left our children and our children's children a heavy burden. Seeing people mainly from my generation judging those young folks is nothing but bigoted. Sitting on their as**s all day, saving the world from their couches, via internet. I hope those young people stay strong and don't listen to those who failed in many ways. Of course not everything is perfect with the young peoples movement, but at least they are doing something! What are you doing? Judging others is easy, when you don't have to take any responsibility.
I'm relieved to see people in your generation acknowledge their faults too and not just limiting themselves to judge the younger generations. We, after all, are a product of the last generations.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
yes
There is no excuse for people to belittle this girl for her choice to sail for something she believes in. If you want to fly, then fly. She isn’t stopping you so there is no need to be an asshole about it. Just leave her alone.
@aurora50 Germany doesnt have Mag lev. They are ICE 4 Models. Many are Diesel/Electric hybrids. The pure electric ones are powered by coal power plants due to the high level of energy needs. The cost per passenger is less on the diesel/electric models than the pure electric ones.
Who on earth downvoted this. I wholly agree with this. No need to slam people who are helping you
I agree, but then the same stance has to be taken on the flip side. If you want to leave her be and let her do her thing then you also need to not put her on the cover of a men's magazine and let the men be. Its a 2 way street. I think its impressive she can do the trip. But also hypocritical that she took a train (coal) instead of a car (far less emissions).
Trains move more product, and more weight, further distances, with fewer emissions, than cars or trucks. A thousand people can move on a train with a much lower carbon impact than 1000 people moving by cars!
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
...nope, electric trains...often mag-lev as well.
what about the 8 member crew that goes with her only to FLY back and causing more enviromental damage than when shed be flying alone??also do you support 16yr old goin to syria cuz of what a demonic book tells em to believe in?is that your logic
they are not shaming her for what she belives in. They are shaming her for double standards. She's against plastics? Well I hope she has a wood hull, not a composite one...or is it? Does she have a toilet and a (hopefully, closed-loop) bathroom there, even? List could go on indefinetly. "low footprint" my ass.
Do you know the difference between "low" and "zero"?
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Alpha Puck, where are these coal powered trains? Is it the 1800s? As for "letting the men be", you're basically saying caring for the environment and men can't go together. Bizarre.
Most trains that are passenger-type are Diesel/Electric. So the diesel engine creates electricity and the electricity powers the motor for the wheels. This is what MANY of the ICE trains are powered by. The new ICE 4 models are pure electric, but that electricity is produced by Germany's 19 coal power plants. Renewable energy is used to power residential areas since they take a lower and steadier supply of energy. The reason why there are many hybrid diesel/electric engines is that if you are a pure diesel engine, you have to pay an additional diesel tax. Im a German immigrant and am happy to support cleaner energy, but protesting emissions while riding these trains and taking boats that require a metric shit ton of gas powered equipment to make is the epitome of ironic.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
It's wonderful that she is raising more awareness and she should not be bullied for it. I'm angry at the adults in her world who are using her for their own political agendas. Because of the short notice of her trip, they are having to fly over the crews that will bring back the high tech racing yacht she is sailing in. That alone takes away from the issue she is trying to make people aware of and makes it more of a publicity stunt.
These "commentators" have made careers and money out of generating outrage. Giving them any attention, like this article, is playing right into their hands. We should dismiss them for the trolls they are and focus on the positives of what Greta is doing.
I disagree. You should call out all the idiots that deny that we are demolishing the environment in which we live. This girl didn't sugercoat it when she told the press that she won't waste any time on speaking to the American president about important things like the environment and climate change. Perhaps that is what all these men got crazy about; A 16 year old girl calling their esteemed leader too incompetent to understand the gravity of the situation.
America is only responsible for 15% of all ocean pollution. So paper straws, million dollar yachts, and children aren't going to save us. We have to hold the countries in Africa and China responsible for the destruction of the other 85% of the eco system. We could all stop plastic use in America, drive teslas, switch to completely renewable power sources and it wouldn't make a dent in how bad things are.
I think you are right. Those defensive responses had a familiar Trumpian flavor to them, though I don't actually know who those particular old white men are. I will look them up, though.
These particular professional trolls are different from your garden variety ignorant/brainwashed climate deniers etc.. They have fully monetized outrage by taking what they know are bullshit, egregious, offensive positions on any issue to drive attention. Attention leads to profile leads to newspaper coloums, speaking opps etc. It is worth remembering that the media are also in a faustian pact with them, as they know articles about these dumb views drive clicks which drives ad revenue which keeps them afloat. The solution to the professional troll problem is to kill their source of revenue, which is ultimately attention
I agree. It is not about feeding the trolls, it is about voicing the truth so that others reading can see it
Me, as an over 40 year old man with three kids, all of them girls, am so proud and happy of all the young people fighting for a good cause. Our generation has been selfish and destructive and we didn't care for those following. We left our children and our children's children a heavy burden. Seeing people mainly from my generation judging those young folks is nothing but bigoted. Sitting on their as**s all day, saving the world from their couches, via internet. I hope those young people stay strong and don't listen to those who failed in many ways. Of course not everything is perfect with the young peoples movement, but at least they are doing something! What are you doing? Judging others is easy, when you don't have to take any responsibility.
I'm relieved to see people in your generation acknowledge their faults too and not just limiting themselves to judge the younger generations. We, after all, are a product of the last generations.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
yes