No One is too Small to Make a Difference

This short book contains speeches given by Greta to parliaments and conferences over the last year. The tone is blunt, pithy and to the point, pulling no punches. Readers will be familiar with the divisive reporting that her message has generated in terms of political ramifications. She bases herself family in IPPC science but also in planetary overload – her own country Sweden uses resources equivalent to 4.2 planets. She states that we already have all the facts and solutions, and that all we need to do is to wake up and change - this is precisely the problem, given the momentum of business as usual supported by the world's most powerful interests. It is becoming increasingly apparent that capitalism and sustainability are incompatible, and just this morning I read an article demolishing the notion of green growth. As she says, we need to focus on what needs to be done, rather than what is politically possible, otherwise there is no hope. At the World Economic Forum in January, Greta slept outside in a tent in sub-zero temperatures. She strikingly accuses political representatives of being immature and irresponsible, and in the House of Commons she kept on asking if the microphone was on… The reality is that we do indeed need a new politics and a new economics if we are to survive and thrive as a civilisation. The contrast between her words and our collective inaction could not be more stark, yet we are all implicated. This powerful book should be read and digested by every generation.