School strike for climate - save the world by changing the rules | Greta Thunberg | TEDxStockholm

Summary

The speaker, an 11-year-old who fell into depression over climate change, challenges the world's inaction despite acknowledging the crisis. With a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome, OCD, and selective mutism, they advocate for drastic emission reductions, especially in rich countries, and emphasize the urgency of change. They criticize the lack of media attention and political action, call for global equity in addressing the crisis, and urge immediate, rule-changing action rather than relying on hope alone.

Takeaways

• 🌍 The speaker first learned about climate change at eight and was puzzled by the lack of urgency despite its severity.
• 💡 The speaker questioned the inconsistency between recognizing climate change as a threat and continuing with business as usual.
• 😔 At 11, the speaker fell into depression, reflecting the emotional toll of the climate crisis on young people.
• 🔑 The speaker was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, OCD, and selective mutism, highlighting the personal challenges faced alongside the global crisis.
• 🌐 The speaker emphasizes the black-and-white nature of the climate crisis, rejecting the notion of gray areas when survival is at stake.
• 📉 The speaker calls for drastic emission reductions, particularly in rich countries like Sweden, to meet climate targets.
• 🌡 The script mentions the IPCC's findings on the benefits of aiming for a 1.5-degree Celsius target over the 2-degree target.
• 📰 The lack of media and leadership focus on climate change is criticized, pointing out the disconnect between words and actions.
• 🌳 The script addresses the sixth mass extinction and the rapid loss of biodiversity, a fact often overlooked in discussions.
• 🏛 The importance of equity and climate justice is stressed, with a call for rich countries to reach zero emissions to allow developing nations to improve their living standards.
• 🚫 The speaker challenges the audience to consider why emissions are not being reduced and questions the collective inaction despite the known consequences.
• 🏫 The speaker recounts their school strike for the climate, emphasizing the need for action over education when the future is at risk.
• 🌱 The script concludes with a call to action rather than hope, asserting that hope will follow action, not precede it.
• 🛑 The speaker argues that the current rules are insufficient and must be changed to effectively combat climate change.

Q & A

What was the speaker's first encounter with the concept of climate change?

The speaker first heard about climate change or global warming when they were about eight years old.

What actions were suggested to the speaker to help mitigate climate change?

The speaker was told to turn off lights to save energy and to recycle paper to conserve resources.

Why did the speaker find it strange that humans could change the Earth's climate?

The speaker found it strange because if humans were capable of such an impact, it would be the only topic of discussion in the media, akin to a world war.

How did the speaker's perception of the world change after being diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, OCD, and selective mutism?

The speaker began to see themselves and others on the autism spectrum as more 'normal' in their straightforwardness compared to the rest of society, especially regarding the urgency of the climate crisis.

What does the speaker believe is the necessary reduction in emissions for rich countries like Sweden?

The speaker believes that rich countries like Sweden need to reduce emissions by at least 15 percent every year.

Why is aiming for a 1.5-degree Celsius warming target considered more beneficial according to the speaker?

Aiming for 1.5 degrees Celsius would significantly reduce the climate impacts, as demonstrated by the IPCC.

What is the speaker's view on the current state of media and leadership regarding climate change?

The speaker criticizes the lack of focus on climate change by the media and leaders, who do not prioritize the issue as they should.

What is the 'sixth mass extinction' mentioned by the speaker, and how severe is it?

The 'sixth mass extinction' refers to the current event where up to 200 species are going extinct daily, with the extinction rate being significantly higher than what is considered normal.

What does the speaker suggest is the timeframe for rich countries to achieve zero emissions?

The speaker suggests that rich countries need to achieve zero emissions within 6 to 12 years, considering the current emission rates.

Why does the speaker question the actions of people and politicians regarding the climate crisis?

The speaker questions because despite the urgency of the climate crisis, people continue with their everyday lives without significant changes, and politicians do not enact necessary restrictions.

What action did the speaker take to protest the lack of action on climate change?

The speaker started a school strike for the climate by sitting outside the Swedish parliament.

What does the speaker believe is the most important factor needed to combat climate change?

The speaker believes that action is more crucial than hope, and that change must begin immediately.

Why does the speaker argue that current rules and politics are insufficient to address climate change?

The speaker argues that the current rules and politics do not effectively reduce oil consumption, and thus, the rules themselves need to change to enforce the necessary reductions.

Outlines

00:00

🌍 Realizing Climate Change's Impact

The speaker, diagnosed with Asperger syndrome and selective mutism, recounts her initial encounter with the concept of climate change at the age of eight. She expresses confusion and disbelief at humanity's role in altering the Earth's climate, questioning why such a critical issue isn't the sole focus of global conversation. Her personal struggle with mental health and the stark contrast between the severity of climate change and the world's apparent indifference highlight the urgency and paradox of the situation. She emphasizes the need for drastic emission reductions, particularly in affluent countries like Sweden, and criticizes the lack of media and political attention to the necessary measures to combat climate change.

05:03

🌱 The Incongruity of Climate Inaction

This paragraph delves into the speaker's frustration with the world's inaction despite the acknowledged existential threat of climate change. She points out the hypocrisy of claiming climate change as the paramount issue while continuing with business-as-usual practices. The speaker calls for immediate and substantial emission cuts, especially in developed nations, to align with the Paris Agreement's temperature targets. She also brings attention to the ignored aspects of climate change, such as the already existing greenhouse gases, the masking effect of air pollution on warming, and the sixth mass extinction. The lack of discussion on equity and climate justice is highlighted, stressing the need for wealthy countries to achieve zero emissions rapidly to allow developing nations to improve their living standards sustainably.

10:03

🚫 The Imperative for Radical Climate Action

In the concluding paragraph, the speaker foregoes the traditional focus on hope and instead emphasizes the dire need for immediate action. She underscores the insufficiency of positive thinking and the necessity for systemic change, given the current rate of oil consumption and the absence of effective political measures. The speaker argues that adhering to existing rules is insufficient when it comes to saving the world, as those rules themselves require transformation. She ends with a call to change everything starting from the present day, leaving the audience with a sense of urgency and the understanding that action, not hope, is the key to addressing the climate crisis.

Keywords

💡Climate Change

Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns, primarily caused by human activities such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation. In the video, the speaker first learns about climate change as a child and reflects on the disconnect between the severity of the issue and the lack of immediate action or widespread discussion in society.

💡Global Warming

Global warming is the gradual increase in the Earth's temperature due to human-induced factors, which is a subset of climate change. The script mentions global warming as something humans have created, indicating the urgency of the issue and the need for immediate action to mitigate its effects.

💡Sustainability Crisis

The sustainability crisis is a situation where the Earth's resources are being depleted faster than they can be replenished, often due to unsustainable human practices. The speaker in the video uses this term to describe the broader environmental challenges that go beyond just climate change, emphasizing the interconnectedness of various environmental issues.

💡Emissions

Emissions refer to the release of pollutants or greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The video discusses the need to stop emissions as a critical step in addressing climate change, highlighting the importance of reducing our carbon footprint to ensure the survival of civilization.

💡Asperger Syndrome

Asperger Syndrome is a developmental disorder characterized by difficulties with social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. The speaker discloses their diagnosis to explain their perspective and communication style, which is direct and focused on essential matters.

💡Selective Mutism

Selective mutism is a psychological condition where a person does not speak in certain situations despite being able to speak in others. The speaker mentions this condition to justify their choice to speak only when necessary, which is exemplified by their decision to speak out about the climate crisis.

💡Equity and Climate Justice

Equity and climate justice involve fair treatment and access to resources for all people, particularly in the context of environmental policies and actions. The video script calls for rich countries to reduce emissions significantly to allow poorer nations to develop sustainably, emphasizing the need for a just and equitable approach to climate action.

💡Mass Extinction

Mass extinction refers to a widespread and rapid loss of biodiversity resulting in the extinction of a large number of species. The speaker highlights the ongoing sixth mass extinction, emphasizing the urgency of the environmental crisis and the rapid action needed to prevent further loss of species.

💡IPCC

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an international body that assesses the science related to climate change. The script refers to the IPCC to underscore the scientific consensus on the need for drastic emission reductions to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

💡Paris Agreement

The Paris Agreement is a global accord within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change that aims to combat climate change by limiting global warming and encouraging a shift towards a low-carbon economy. The video discusses the importance of adhering to the commitments made in the Paris Agreement for a global response to the climate crisis.

💡School Strike for Climate

A school strike for climate is a form of protest where students abstain from attending school to demand action on climate change. The speaker describes their personal involvement in such a strike, illustrating the power of collective action and the importance of raising awareness among the younger generation.

💡Action vs. Hope

The distinction between action and hope is a central theme in the video, where the speaker argues that while hope is important, it is concrete action that is urgently needed to address the climate crisis. The speaker calls for immediate and transformative changes rather than relying on hope alone.

Highlights

At eight years old, the speaker first heard about climate change and was told to save energy and recycle.

The speaker questioned why if climate change was so serious, it wasn't the only topic of discussion everywhere.

The speaker became ill at 11, suffering from depression, Asperger syndrome, OCD and selective mutism.

Autistic individuals like the speaker tend to see things in black and white and are not good at lying or participating in social games.

The speaker criticizes society for continuing with business as usual despite claiming climate change is an existential threat.

The speaker argues that if emissions must stop, we must take action to stop them without any gray areas when it comes to survival.

Rich countries like Sweden need to reduce emissions by at least 15% annually to stay below a 2-degree warming target.

Aiming for a 1.5 degree Celsius target would significantly reduce climate impacts, according to the IPCC.

The media and leaders are not focusing enough on the urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Air pollution is masking some warming, so stopping fossil fuel use will reveal an additional 0.5-1.1 degree Celsius of warming.

We are in the midst of the sixth mass extinction with up to 200 species going extinct daily and extinction rates far exceeding normal.

Equity and climate justice, as stated in the Paris Agreement, are necessary for global action, with rich countries needing to reach zero emissions within 6-12 years.

The speaker questions why emissions are not being reduced and are instead increasing, and if humanity is knowingly causing a mass extinction.

Most people are unaware of the consequences of their actions and the need for rapid change due to a lack of information and understanding.

The speaker emphasizes the need for action, not just hope, and criticizes the lack of real change despite 30 years of positive messaging.

The speaker calls for rule changes and a complete shift in how we approach the climate crisis, starting today.

The speaker's personal commitment to striking for the climate and challenging the status quo.

Transcripts

Translator: Akinori Oyama Reviewer: Peter van de Ven

When I was about eight years old,

I first heard about something called climate change or global warming.

Apparently, that was something humans have created by our way of living.

I was told to turn off the lights to save energy

and to recycle paper to save resources.

I remember thinking that it was very strange

that humans, who are an animal species among others,

could be capable of changing the Earth's climate.

Because if we were, and if it was really happening,

we wouldn't be talking about anything else.

As soon as you'd turn on the TV, everything would be about that.

Headlines, radio, newspapers,

you would never read or hear about anything else,

as if there was a world war going on.

But no one ever talked about it.

If burning fossil fuels was so bad that it threatened our very existence,

how could we just continue like before?

Why were there no restrictions?

Why wasn't it made illegal?

To me, that did not add up.

It was too unreal.

So when I was 11, I became ill.

I fell into depression,

I stopped talking,

and I stopped eating.

In two months, I lost about 10 kilos of weight.

Later on, I was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome,

OCD and selective mutism.

That basically means I only speak when I think it's necessary -

now is one of those moments.

(Applause)

For those of us who are on the spectrum,

almost everything is black or white.

We aren't very good at lying,

and we usually don't enjoy participating in this social game

that the rest of you seem so fond of.

(Laughter)

I think in many ways that we autistic are the normal ones,

and the rest of the people are pretty strange,

(Laughter)

especially when it comes to the sustainability crisis,

where everyone keeps saying climate change is an existential threat

and the most important issue of all,

and yet they just carry on like before.

I don't understand that,

because if the emissions have to stop,

then we must stop the emissions.

To me that is black or white.

There are no gray areas when it comes to survival.

Either we go on as a civilization or we don't.

We have to change.

Rich countries like Sweden need to start reducing emissions

by at least 15 percent every year.

And that is so that we can stay below a two-degree warming target.

Yet, as the IPCC have recently demonstrated,

aiming instead for 1.5 degrees Celsius

would significantly reduce the climate impacts.

But we can only imagine what that means for reducing emissions.

You would think the media and every one of our leaders

would be talking about nothing else,

but they never even mention it.

Nor does anyone ever mention

the greenhouse gases already locked in the system.

Nor that air pollution is hiding a warming

so that when we stop burning fossil fuels,

we already have an extra level of warming

perhaps as high as 0.5 to 1.1 degrees Celsius.

Furthermore does hardly anyone speak about the fact

that we are in the midst of the sixth mass extinction,

with up to 200 species going extinct every single day,

that the extinction rate today

is between 1,000 and 10,000 times higher

than what is seen as normal.

Nor does hardly anyone ever speak about the aspect of equity or climate justice,

clearly stated everywhere in the Paris Agreement,

which is absolutely necessary to make it work on a global scale.

That means that rich countries

need to get down to zero emissions within 6 to 12 years,

with today's emission speed.

And that is so that people in poorer countries

can have a chance to heighten their standard of living

by building some of the infrastructure that we have already built,

such as roads, schools, hospitals,

clean drinking water, electricity, and so on.

Because how can we expect countries like India or Nigeria

to care about the climate crisis

if we who already have everything don't care even a second about it

or our actual commitments to the Paris Agreement?

So, why are we not reducing our emissions?

Why are they in fact still increasing?

Are we knowingly causing a mass extinction?

Are we evil?

No, of course not.

People keep doing what they do

because the vast majority doesn't have a clue

about the actual consequences of our everyday life,

and they don't know that rapid change is required.

We all think we know, and we all think everybody knows,

but we don't.

Because how could we?

If there really was a crisis,

and if this crisis was caused by our emissions,

you would at least see some signs.

Not just flooded cities, tens of thousands of dead people,

and whole nations leveled to piles of torn down buildings.

You would see some restrictions.

But no.

And no one talks about it.

There are no emergency meetings, no headlines, no breaking news.

No one is acting as if we were in a crisis.

Even most climate scientists or green politicians

keep on flying around the world, eating meat and dairy.

If I live to be 100, I will be alive in the year 2103.

When you think about the future today, you don't think beyond the year 2050.

By then, I will, in the best case, not even have lived half of my life.

What happens next?

The year 2078, I will celebrate my 75th birthday.

If I have children or grandchildren, maybe they will spend that day with me.

Maybe they will ask me about you,

the people who were around, back in 2018.

Maybe they will ask why you didn't do anything

while there still was time to act.

What we do or don't do right now will affect my entire life

and the lives of my children and grandchildren.

What we do or don't do right now,

me and my generation can't undo in the future.

So when school started in August of this year,

I decided that this was enough.

I set myself down on the ground outside the Swedish parliament.

I school striked for the climate.

Some people say that I should be in school instead.

Some people say that I should study to become a climate scientist

so that I can "solve the climate crisis."

But the climate crisis has already been solved.

We already have all the facts and solutions.

All we have to do is to wake up and change.

And why should I be studying for a future that soon will be no more

when no one is doing anything whatsoever to save that future?

And what is the point of learning facts in the school system

when the most important facts

given by the finest science of that same school system

clearly means nothing to our politicians and our society.

Some people say that Sweden is just a small country,

and that it doesn't matter what we do,

but I think that if a few children can get headlines all over the world

just by not coming to school for a few weeks,

imagine what we could all do together if you wanted to.

(Applause)

Now we're almost at the end of my talk,

and this is where people usually start talking about hope,

solar panels, wind power, circular economy, and so on,

but I'm not going to do that.

We've had 30 years of pep-talking and selling positive ideas.

And I'm sorry, but it doesn't work.

Because if it would have,

the emissions would have gone down by now.

They haven't.

And yes, we do need hope,

of course we do.

But the one thing we need more than hope is action.

Once we start to act, hope is everywhere.

So instead of looking for hope,

look for action.

Then, and only then, hope will come.

Today, we use 100 million barrels of oil every single day.

There are no politics to change that.

There are no rules to keep that oil in the ground.

So we can't save the world by playing by the rules,

because the rules have to be changed.

Everything needs to change,

and it has to start today.

Thank you.

(Applause)