Should teenagers like Greta Thunberg be telling adults what to do?

TalkingPoint · Post by **TalkingPoint** » Tue Oct 13, 2020 6:54 pm

Should teenagers like Greta Thunberg be telling adults what to do?

Greta Thunberg is a 17-year old environmental activist who has become very famous around the world for her clear and critical message about climate change. Here is part of a speech that she gave to a room-full of adults at the United Nations COP24 Climate Change Conference in Poland in December 2018:

You only talk about moving forward with the same bad ideas that got us into this mess [ie climate change], even when the only sensible thing to do is pull the emergency brake. You are not mature enough to tell it like it is. Even that burden you leave to us children.

Should teenagers like Greta be telling adults what to do? What do you think?

You can read more about Greta at EnglishClub's Climate Activist Greta Thunberg page

Safari · Post by **Safari** » Thu Oct 15, 2020 6:23 am

You wouldn't expect to find grown-ups at any United Nations meeting so Greta is well within her rights. Even if there were adults present she would be right to speak out on such an important matter.

soidog · Post by **soidog** » Thu Oct 15, 2020 1:03 pm

YES! WHY NOT?

It's time some adults grow up and most of them will be dead before the most horrid effects of climate change happen to the world. Please listen Greta!!! what ever is your age

OccamsRazor · Post by **OccamsRazor** » Thu Oct 15, 2020 11:40 pm

Greta is not telling adults anything that they don't already know. A child calling an adult immature is not going to gain any adult friends. The adults know what they need to do but choose not to do it for many reasons: political, economic, social, feasible, impossible, not cost-effective.

We don't need children to tell us how to live in a world of adults.

Miguel · Post by **Miguel** » Tue Oct 20, 2020 9:11 am

If adults don't do anything to change the situation in our planet, younger generations would have to take the lead. I personally think that many people must be tought about ecology and the problems the whole planet would face if we don't act quickly.

greencap · Post by **greencap** » Sun Oct 25, 2020 3:30 pm

I find Greta Thunberg inspiring. To me, she demonstrates the ability to speak plainly about an important global issue. I think that she is an effective spokesperson, not only for her generation, but for all of us.

Nanning · Post by **Nanning** » Mon Oct 26, 2020 8:55 am

Everybody is entitled to his voice being heard, and there is nothing wrong generally. But if you ask for my advice for this Swedish girl, she is expected to stay in the classroom at such a young age to learn more about human knowledge rather than to speak at a big event like the UN conference, because today's global problem of climate change is more about human activities than physical atmosphere and because human mind is much deeper than the ocean, which will not be fully understood even one is willing to take his whole life to do so.

You can still arouse the interests of the public with your special conditions as you are a little girl, which makes the whole scenario very unusual in the eyes of many people, but do you think you are able to successfully persuade before you reach adulthood all those dirty politicians around the world who are liars without exception to take actions for a better world? How about the future when you become an average Jill? Will there still be willing ears to listen to you?

Either you study well and become a politician yourself so that you can do the job as you wish, or you quit the school to make yourself rich with the money you earn or that of whoever wishing to donate to you so that you can change the world as you like. Otherwise, you will grow older but not wiser, with the climate change going on and yourself a laughing stock to your grandchildren, if you are so fortunate to have some.

andglow · Post by **andglow** » Tue Nov 03, 2020 1:32 pm

Teenagers like Greta Thunberg are inheriting this world and their lives depend on them speaking up now. This planet's sell-by date is coming up quickly; her generation has been bequeathed a toxic outhouse on which to live by the most dangerous, destructive animal on Earth: homo sapiens. It's the only animal that kills for no reason (and is proud of it), that empties its bladders and bowels anywhere it pleases and whines that cleaning the mess is too expensive. Respect is earned, and the people she is challenging just haven't earned it yet*.
*http://www.passionsjustlikemine.com/lyr ... jheiyb.htm

SitangCampus · Post by **SitangCampus** » Sun Jun 06, 2021 3:17 pm

The girl is growing up day by day, but she seems to have forgotten her original mission. We do not hear her voice any more, (perhaps she has got what she wants from her public shows here and there and from her growing exposure to the world), especially when the Japanese government announced to discharge the nuclear-polluted water into the open sea that will have long lasting and very bad impact on the health and life not only of the fishes, the fishermen near that country, but of the human being as a whole.

In China, there is a saying, a young calf cattle doesn't fear a tiger, perhaps it is too young to be scared, but when one grows up he or she has seen and heard too much and becomes cool and calm, especially when his or her personal gains might be cut or lost. I never expect much from this girl, because she is not God, she is just a girl who has yet to know how dangerous the world of adult is.

lebao · Post by **lebao** » Fri Aug 13, 2021 10:39 am

I need to consider this topic carefully and discuss it in my class with my students.

lebao · Post by **lebao** » Sat Aug 28, 2021 5:12 am

It is a intriguing topic for answering.However,as a English teacher I use this topic to encourage Viet Nam students put their mind to environment,global warming and climate change.I teach my students how to recognise the terrible impact of fossil fuels to our the Earth and the vital renewable energy.Nevertheless,as far as i am concerned that in their real atmosphere,environment,education at school and families just support and spend more times as well as the consume habits every day consider about the green using recycle material and so on.

ZheLin · Post by **ZheLin** » Tue Nov 02, 2021 10:18 pm

I think we should focus on the materials rather than who speaks. If the teenagers are talking about correct things, we should allow them to talk about their opinions. However, in most cases, teenagers will talk about something without further consideration. It is our responsibility to tell them why they are wrong.

MartaC · Post by **MartaC** » Tue Nov 02, 2021 10:20 pm

I think it is more than reasonable for young people to have strong opinions on a matter that will be more central in their future, than it has ever been for their parents. In fact, what we are experiencing now will get worse.
Moreover, to tell the truth, Greta is a symbol - a powerful one - of young generations asking to the adults to think about more than economical advantages, and start thinking about the future of their kids. However, Greta is the voice of many scientists that have been continuously affirming to be aware that our actions have a dangerous impact on the environment.
Thus, my answer is twofold:
1) yes, teenagers like Greta should be telling adults what to do when adults are incapable to look at the wide picture.
2) Greta is not a solo voice, but the symbol of a movement composed by people with different age, nationality, gender.

suryansh · Post by **suryansh** » Tue Nov 02, 2021 10:25 pm

I don't think that teenagers like Greta should not be influencing the adult decisions, because the decision that adult took are not only based on one mindset. There are many factors to consider while discussing critical matters like climate crisis. On the other hand the possibility of influencing the opinion of a child by some adult is very high.

However, on the other hand everyone on this earth have the right to speak. And if after listening to teenagers like Greta the climate crisis can have a positive influence then it's a good thing.

In conclusion, it is the adult's decision to whether take the advice of teenager or not.

Xinyuan · Post by **Xinyuan** » Tue Nov 02, 2021 10:26 pm

She is too young and sometimes naive. No matter whether there is someone behind her and tell her what to do, what she said is too idealism. Yes everyone knows protecting environment is important, and everyone want to use clean energy. But how about those developing countries? What if they don't have enough money to shift from burning coals to solar energy? Can you just stop them using those 'dirty' energy and let them live without electricity?

Altria · Post by **Altria** » Tue Nov 02, 2021 10:27 pm

I don’t think teenagers like Greta Thunberg be telling adults what to do. Since things like climate change is quite a complex problem, people need to command large amount of knowledge before they are capable to talk about such things. She only talked about what you shouldn’t do, without any constructional idea, neither did she consider the feasibility. She is just a pawn in other’s hands, chasing for bigger political interest.

Karinagtzga · Post by **Karinagtzga** » Tue Nov 02, 2021 10:27 pm

Sometimes maturity is not related to age. Greta is a teenager thinking about the future and how bad decisions could impact the environment. It is a fact that if we do not change our behavior and focus on important things as the environment and health, we cannot move forward.

CrystalP · Post by **CrystalP** » Tue Nov 02, 2021 10:31 pm

Yes, of course.
Teenagers who are well educated, formally or informally, can be very knowledgeable and intelligent. It is possible for them to think of great ideas on issues. It is a bit nonsense to decide if an individual should tell another what to do based only on their age. It falls into the logical error that older people always have a greater ability to solve problems. But the truth is not. If ones don't keep educating themselves, there is no way for one to improve over time.

annafavaro · Post by **annafavaro** » Tue Nov 02, 2021 10:31 pm

Greta, like any other teenager, has the right to express her own opinion about the tragic environmental condition in which our planet is currently.
In my view, she does not propose viable alternatives to solve the current situation, she just wants to raise the awareness of adults. Thus, as long as she limits herself to do so, we all can just benefit from her efforts.

Hongru · Post by **Hongru** » Tue Nov 02, 2021 10:32 pm

Yes. Adults are not necessarily do everything right, and we should not judge people's opinions based on age. Although adults may have a more social experience, those experiences may limit their imaginations and bias their decisions. Young generations like Greta can bring fresh air to the room and motivate changes!

tomdaiski · Post by **tomdaiski** » Tue Nov 02, 2021 10:36 pm

Undeniably, adolescents should have their voices being heard by the major population. However, Greta's words by itself is too radical given she does not understand well the mechanism of global warming and the major efforts going on today to reduce carbon emission. The suggestion is teenager better do enough researches before they claim their strong opinions against adults, chances are larger their voices will be well reviewed and accepted.

tomdaiski · Post by **tomdaiski** » Thu Nov 04, 2021 10:18 pm

Altria wrote: ↑Tue Nov 02, 2021 10:27 pm I don’t think teenagers like Greta Thunberg be telling adults what to do. Since things like climate change is quite a complex problem, people need to command large amount of knowledge before they are capable to talk about such things. She only talked about what you shouldn’t do, without any constructional idea, neither did she consider the feasibility. She is just a pawn in other’s hands, chasing for bigger political interest.

I totally agree with you that global warming is a complex problem and to analyze the potential causations and corresponding solutions, we need to comprehend knowledge from multiple fields. And Greta's claim is backed by nothing. She did not do any research or investigation on climate change herself.

HammondBears · Post by **HammondBears** » Thu Nov 04, 2021 10:21 pm

What if she goes beyond just talking about her ideas? What if she does try dictate what adults should do? (Isn't she kind of already doing that?)

CrystalP · Post by **CrystalP** » Thu Nov 04, 2021 10:23 pm

Altria wrote: ↑Tue Nov 02, 2021 10:27 pm I don’t think teenagers like Greta Thunberg be telling adults what to do. Since things like climate change is quite a complex problem, people need to command large amount of knowledge before they are capable to talk about such things. She only talked about what you shouldn’t do, without any constructional idea, neither did she consider the feasibility. She is just a pawn in other’s hands, chasing for bigger political interest.

I agree with your point that she doesn't give out any constructional ideas for the issues but raised the attention of the public. In some way, this is beneficial to society. However, I am curious about your opinion on this condition: what if a teenager can propose constructional ideas to solve such ideas? In this case, do you think they are qualified to tell adults what to do instead of having the right to speak out?

ambershang · Post by **ambershang** » Thu Nov 04, 2021 10:23 pm

As for me, I'll say I'll never act like this, but Greta definitely has the right to do so, since she's not hurting anybody, and her idea can help the world get better.

The world needs all kinds of activists. And it is definitely okay for an activist to be a little bit extreme. She's an outstanding teenager. Even though the message conveyed by her is not informative enough for most educated people, the reality that a 17-year-old girl stands up for environmental issues itself can make us feel guilty.

annafavaro · Post by **annafavaro** » Thu Nov 04, 2021 10:27 pm

I think that your position is reasonable. It is important that someone awaken consciences and suggests which are the important directions to follow for the environmental progress of humankind.

MartaC · Post by **MartaC** » Thu Nov 04, 2021 10:29 pm

I think her arguments are pretty constructive as well as deconstructive. Moreover, I also think that her arguments do not have to do with her age. The question required to ask whether or not she could tell what to do to adults, not whether or not her arguments were compelling, valid or something we agree with.

SitangCampus · Post by **SitangCampus** » Fri Nov 05, 2021 8:25 am

I am much surprised to see on a single day two days earlier, there came so many replies to this topic, amazing if they were not from the same account under different names.

Did somebody work at the conference held in Glasgow about COP26? Actually you can see that it is not easy to settle this global matter, let alone some childish advice from a half-educated girl, which could not possibly work and only draw some jokes. It might be good for establishing a fan base for social media account. LOL.

Once again my advice to this girl is: Go back to school and try to learn from the instruction of your teachers, you have wasted too much precious time in your life doing nothing.

ambershang · Post by **ambershang** » Thu Nov 11, 2021 11:09 pm

CrystalP wrote: ↑Tue Nov 02, 2021 10:31 pm Yes, of course.
Teenagers who are well educated, formally or informally, can be knowledgeable. They can think of great ideas on issues. It is a bit nonsense to decide if an individual should tell another what to do based only on their age. It falls into the logical error that older people always have a greater ability to solve problems. But the truth is not. If ones don't keep educating themselves, there is no way for one to improve over time.

I agree with you that "it is a bit nonsense to decide if an individual should tell another one what to do based only on their age". Also, it is difficult to define what it means to "tell other people what to do". It would be better to say " call on something" or " provide adults with suggestions".

ZheLin · Post by **ZheLin** » Thu Nov 11, 2021 11:12 pm

Nanning wrote: ↑Mon Oct 26, 2020 8:55 am Everybody is entitled to his voice being heard, and there is nothing wrong generally. But if you ask for my advice for this Swedish girl, she is expected to stay in the classroom at such a young age to learn more about human knowledge rather than to speak at a big event like the UN conference, because today's global problem of climate change is more about human activities than physical atmosphere and because human mind is much deeper than the ocean, which will not be fully understood even one is willing to take his whole life to do so.

You can still arouse the interests of the public with your special conditions as you are a little girl, which makes the whole scenario very unusual in the eyes of many people, but do you think you are able to successfully persuade before you reach adulthood all those dirty politicians around the world who are liars without exception to take actions for a better world? How about the future when you become an average Jill? Will there still be willing ears to listen to you?

Either you study well and become a politician yourself so that you can do the job as you wish, or you quit the school to make yourself rich with the money you earn or that of whoever wishing to donate to you so that you can change the world as you like. Otherwise, you will grow older but not wiser, with the climate change going on and yourself a laughing stock to your grandchildren, if you are so fortunate to have some.

Hi bro, I do agree with your opinion. We both understand the importance of the environment. However, it is very hard to keep a balance between the economy and the environment. Greta's opinions are often too idealistic. She lives a wonderful country while some people still need a powerful country.

KyLogan · Post by **KyLogan** » Fri Aug 26, 2022 3:05 pm

This hierarchy as to who needs to tell what, and who can correct who is exactly why many feudal traditions are alive to date. To a large extent, politicians and businessmen who fall into the category of so-called grown-ups are the reason why the Earth is crumbling - widespread destruction of forests, loss of floral and faunal habitat, extinction and endangerment of rare and brilliant animal species, pollution of the essentials (air and water) and so on. It is high time egos are put aside on a global scale for the common good. Phenomenons like climax community and nature's revival from rubbles are well documented and offer hope to humans - it is time we allow this healing to happen.

SitangCampus · Post by **SitangCampus** » Sat Aug 26, 2023 2:02 am

As I pointed out in the above posts, this girl, now a young woman, has changed a lot after she has got what she desires, knowingly or unknowingly.

Since Aug 24, 2023, that is, two days ago, Japan has begun its planned discharge of nuclear polluted water into sea, which will have an everlasting impact to the world at large.

Despite Japanese government time and again told the international community that it is safe to do so, nobody in his right mind will believe such bull shiit.

As said by the spokesperson of Foreign Ministry of China, if the water is safe, it is pointless to discharge it into sea, and if it is dangerous, then why does Japan try to drag the world into trouble by sharing this water with the rest of the world? So it is very clear, Japan is doing something to the detriment of the world, whose damage will not be less than the nuclear bombs aftermath during World War II.

Now we are looking forward to the Swedish girl or lady to say a few words, as she did in her young age, about this matter which concerns the well being of the globe.

Only we do not know where she is now, along with the UN, the organization which is believed to solve any world problems when it arises.

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