National Public Radio sounds like State-Run Radio when they bring on radical anti-capitalists and then argue in favor of the Biden administration. On Valentine's Day, All Things Considered anchor Ailsa Chang begged 20-year-old Swedish climate extremist Greta Thunberg to understand the Democrats are trying to save the planet the way she wants. Thunberg is listed as the editor of a new compilation of essays called The Climate Book.
Chang reminded Thunberg she asked what America needed to do in 2019 (under Trump). But now things are different:
AILSA CHANG: I mean, that said, the U.S. has pledged to halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. It passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which invest billions of dollars in more electric cars, more efficient buildings. I mean, those are both quite big commitments. So what more specifically needs to be done in your mind?
GRETA THUNBERG: First of all, those commitments need to be real. And they need to be in line with science and not contain lots of loopholes as they might do today. Also, we can't just continue to make promises far away in the future. If people are going to believe in those commitments, we need to take action right now.
CHANG: Well, let me ask you about one essay in this book. It's called "How Can We Undo Our Failures If We Are Unable To Admit That We Have Failed?" You call out political leaders for failing to act. And if I may just push back on that, I mean, there are plenty of politicians out there who speak up about climate change and the need to act. But, you know, in countries like the U.S., with narrowly divided legislatures, those politicians don't always have the votes needed to enact the policies that they want. So how do you propose overcoming those political realities?
Chang asked the question again when Thunberg held out her approval. Then came the gush, asking if Thunberg might run for office (she said no).
CHANG: The last time you and I spoke, you were only 16 years old. And since then, you have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize four times in a row. I mean, what do you make of your own celebrity these days? Is it ever distracting from the mission?
THUNBERG: Of course. I don't think it's what anyone expected or could ever expect. So I guess I just have to use the advantage that that gives me. It gives me a platform that I can speak up about things that can impact things, people, et cetera. But of course, it sends a weird message that we are focusing sometimes on specific individuals rather than the actual problem itself and rather than the people actually suffering the consequences of that problem.
CHANG: Right. And as people focus on who Greta Thunberg is, Greta Thunberg, I understand, is trying to finish high school right now, right? You have a very busy schedule right now.
THUNBERG: Yes (Laughter).
CHANG: (Laughter) How do you manage to balance advocacy, activism, with high school, editing a book? How has that been?
THUNBERG: I don't know. To be honest, I don't have an answer to that.
CHANG: Does it feel overwhelming sometimes?
THUNBERG: Maybe, yes, overwhelming. But I think what's more is the feeling of doing something that matters, doing something that has an impact -- something that, in the future, I will be able to look back at and say, I did what I could during this existential crisis when most people were just either looking away or were too busy with their own lives or - yeah.
This one-sided valentine was funded in part by you, the American taxpayer.
