The Bøyg v. Greta

A battle for the future of the world is being waged today, with (literally) millions of children skipping school in order to demonstrate on the streets in a frenzied attempt to get the adult authorities, world wide, to do something about human-caused global warming and the deterioration of our environment. The something that needs to be done is not exactly spelled out, although their young Swedish leader, Greta Thunberg, the Jeanne d'Arc of our present day*, says that a good start would be for decision makers to listen to the scientists whose warnings have too often gone unheeded.

Since my daughter --- giving a keynote speech at an international congress in Paris next week on The European Metrology Network for Climate and Ocean Observation --- is one of those very scientists (she established and now manages that network) my sympathies have to lie with Greta and her supporters.

Less sympathetic adults, most of them with an axe to grind, deride young Greta or try to claim that she is mentally unstable and therefore shouldn't be given so much publicity. They imply that the phenomenon of the children's walkouts is simply mass hysteria.

The New York Times reports:

Rarely, if ever, has the modern world witnessed a youth movement so large and wide, spanning across societies rich and poor, tied together by a common if inchoate sense of rage.

Something here reminds me of Peer Gynt confronting the Bøyg on the Scandinavian mountainside in Ibsen's allegorical play. Peer has challenged the monstrous troll and finally collapses in exhaustion. He is about to perish when women's voices are heard in the distance. Peer's young soul is fortified. The Bøyg then suddenly capitulates ("shrinks to nothing" in one translation), with the words: "He was too strong. There were women behind him!"

I hope Greta's cause will one day prevail in this vulnerable world and that we shall be able to say in retrospect that the trolls and her other detractors failed to defeat her because ... "She was too strong. There were adults behind her."

It would only be fair to add here that Greta T. herself wrote, back in February: "...Many people love to spread rumors saying that I have people ”behind me” or that I’m being ”paid” or ”used” to do what I’m doing. But there is no one ”behind” me except for myself. My parents were as far from climate activists as possible before I made them aware of the situation. I am not part of any organization."


  * Malala Yousafzai is another such person.