Greta Thunberg is 16 years old and has made it her life’s work (so far) to raise awareness for, and to do her best to combat, climate change around the world.
Apparently, this makes grown ass people with keyboards think it’s okay to joke about a teenaged girl drowning in a boating accident, because that’s the world we’re living in today.
Thunberg wanted to attend the United Nations climate change summits in the United States and Chile, but wanted to a find a responsible way to do it – air travel is the most carbon intensive form of transportation. So she landed on boat travel in order to minimize her carbon emissions.
The Malizia II, a racing yacht that employs solar panels to power her underwater turbines, offered her a ride, which she accepted. She and her father set out from Portsmouth (in the United Kingdom) on a two-week sail to the States.
Good for her, right?
You would think that most adults would feel that way, but, sadly, there are plenty who don’t.
It turns out that grown-ups who have dug into their (incorrect) positions about climate change being non-anthropological feel the need to attack a child in order to defend their own insecurities.
Like radio personality Julia Hartley-Brewer, who thinks being irresponsible is…funny?
And this totally gross comment from U.K. media personality Arron Banks.
Luckily, there are just as many people (if not more) ready to defend Greta and her actions.
https://twitter.com/matthaig1/status/1161772605692624899?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1161772605692624899&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.iflscience.com%2Fenvironment%2Fgreta-thunberg-boats-to-the-us-to-fight-climate-change-while-her-opponents-make-jokes-about-her-drowning%2F
As it should be.
True to form, Greta seems to be soldiering on and enjoying her trip.
And, I assume, the bleak pleasure of knowing she’s right.
