Greta Thunberg says, “Enough is enough!”

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing.

Me, Just now†

I received an email today, imploring me to sign yet another petition. Those tend to have little effect, but, still, we have to do something. This appeal was from Greta Thunberg, and it read:

Dear friends,

Enough is enough!

For decades, big oil and gas CEOs have misled the public about the deadly impact of burning fossil fuels that are cooking our planet. Now we’re seeing murderous floods, deadly droughts and rainforests on fire.

Next week, top CEOs are meeting at a key business summit in the Swiss mountains, pretending they care for the planet – while digging new oil and gas fields, and making billions in profit.

We will travel to Switzerland in the coming days, bringing a “cease and desist” letter to oil and gas CEOs, demanding they stop any new oil and gas projects. Join us – let’s have millions of us speaking up and showing them that we see through their lies. Add your name now!

It feels extremely difficult to keep hope alive in the face of climate devastation around the world – from millions on the verge of starvation in East Africa, to the rampant destruction of the Amazon rainforest. But our hope lies in people – in the millions of us who are determined to come together and demand corporate and political leaders take action.

It’s time to put these CEOs on notice – showing them that 2023 will be a watershed moment for accountability. Let’s do this, together.

Sincerely,

Vanessa from Uganda, Greta from Sweden, Helena from Ecuador, Luisa from Germany

As I write this, the petition has just short of 300,000 signatures. These ladies say, “Enough is enough”, yet talk about ‘millions’; I believe that, at this late stage in the game, that target is not enough. Get a billion signatories and even the complacent mass media would have to sit up, take notice, and admit that it’s ‘news’ – and maybe then we’d finally see some action.

† Yes, yes, yes: I know that most believe that this aphorism was coined by Edmund Burke; according to Reuters and others, they’re mistaken. Furthermore, the popular version of the quote unfairly accuses only men of complacency….