Will they listen?

Nice letter by Greta Thunberg. But like the lukewarm or even scoffing response has been till now to her efforts to get the “leaders” of countries to take notice, it might very well go down the same way (“Greta Thunberg demands ‘crisis’ response to climate change,” July 16, Gulf Today).

Like she rightly said some time back with regards to the pandemic: if they want to, they can surely take drastic action. Complete lockdowns were never thought possible, but that’s what exactly happened.

Thus, stringent action towards combating climate change and treating the planet with more respect isn’t impossible. Just as impossible as it sounds that a vaccine be developed within a year, but that’s what is happening. Why not for climate change? Why can’t it be treated with the same urgency as the pandemic?

The results of the pandemic are very quick and so are the deaths. Climate change consequences are more subtle but they are more dangerous than the pandemic. But as Swedish activist reiterates, people in power have practically “given up” on the possibility of handing over a decent future to coming generations.

The governments of many countries care less for the environment and are turning a blind eye to the environment polluting industries because they are sharing in the spoils. And so the demand in the letter urging for an immediate halt to all investments in fossil fuel exploration and extraction will in all probability fall on deaf ears.

Joyce D — By email