Greta Thunberg certainly caught the world’s attention with that one word! She was attending the Pre-COP 26 meeting in Milan, where various world leaders were meeting to try and agree on actions before the main COP-26 meeting in Glasgow which starts this week, and accused the world’s politicians of “30 years of blah! blah! blah!”
The Chair of the meeting, the Italian Climate Minister, Roberto Cingolani, looked decidedly uncomfortable.
However, he responded to Greta’s speech at the Youth4Climate Conference, by admitting Greta had “raised a serious problem, we were not credible in the past.”
Many people will have heard of and seen images of Greta passionately addressing audiences of senior politicians.
What impressed me was a group of 4 young people interviewed for BBC2’s Newsnight programme. I cannot remember their names. I cannot find any reference to them or that item on the internet. The group consisted of 2 young women from India and Bangladesh, a Caucasian man (European or Scandinavian) and a young man from South America. They were articulate, informed and also passionate.
As our world leaders gather in Glasgow, may we all reflect on what our young people are telling us – those with loud and provocative messages and those who are quiet and more measured. The Crisis, the Emergency, is the same for all. Our President of Methodist Conference, Rev. Sonia Hicks, has taken her theme this year – “God’s Table – an invitation for all”. May the world leaders listen to the voices of the young and invite all to the table at this momentous time in the history of God’s World Table.
Prayer: Gracious Father, as our politicians and scientists meet, may egos and division be set aside, and may the courageous voices of the young be listened to, acknowledged, and meaningful commitments made and acted upon. May this time in history be a time of real change, real action and may people of every colour, age, every land be able to share at Your Creation Table. AMEN