Thread by @SteB777

Let me deal with this. I know we need to stop emitting anthropogenic GHG emissions now - I've been saying it consistently on Twitter, and for over 30 years.
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https://twitter.com/pmagn/status/1491433142422761473

I've been pointing out that the 1990 Stockholm Environment Institute report, from which the 2C figure was drawn, said there was nothing safe about 2C, and the real safe figure was more like 1C - since just after the report came out.
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carbonbrief.org/two-degrees-th…

I had a running battle with the Guardian newspaper on their comments section, to stop telling people that 2C was the internationally agreed safe limit we could work up to. Telling them to be honest about what the SEI report actually said.
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It's all very well saying "We need" to do this and that, because I have been following the ecological crisis for over 50 years, and people were saying what we needed to do 50 years ago. The problem is this didn't happen.
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un.org/en/conferences…

The real problem is not what we "need" to do, because as I say, informed people have known that for over 50 years, and as regards the climate crisis, for over 30 years. No the real problem is how to put this into action.
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It is now crystal clear that we can not rely on politicians to do this (I was saying this 30 years ago, but other environmentalists dismissed me as "too cynical"), despite their promises. The only way to overcome this is to create a mass movement, to force this action.
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Political leaders fear one thing, the public turning against them, and if they believe they'll be forced from office if they don't do what the majority demand, they will do it.
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Luckily, one person with a platform understands this, @GretaThunberg. Within just over a year, she inspired the biggest mass movement in human history, and got many millions on the street on a single day, and addressed a crowd of 1/2 million.
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vox.com/energy-and-env…

The growth of this movement has only been put on hold, because of the pandemic. It has not gone away. Greta's genius is much underestimated. She is an incredible communicator and strategist.
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You see, environmentalists and climate activists had previously made a huge mistake. They wrongly focused only on what "we need to do" (which is very important), but useless unless we find a way to put what "we need to do" into practise.
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Just saying what "we need to do" is merely preaching to the converted, and grandstanding, without motivating the public, to demand it. Otherwise, the only people listening are environmentalists and climate activists, who are currently are not at a level to force this action.
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Greta's success, has been to highlight key parts of the problem in a few words, like the problem is "the crisis is not being treated as a crisis", and we have got less than "8 years of the current carbon budget left" to stay below 1.5C.
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https://twitter.com/gretathunberg/status/1219653306353618946

The idea is to focus on the essentials, and to highlight how only drastic and significant cuts to GHG emissions in the next few years will work.

"Only rapid and drastic reductions in greenhouse gases in this decade can prevent such climate breakdown"
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theguardian.com/science/2021/a…

It is my belief, that Greta is fully aware that the IPCC reports are too conservative, and she definitely knows the inadequacies of the Paris Agreement, but she also knows this is the only science most will agree on, so she highlights their figures.
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This is why communication to most people is all important. That is why it matters highlighting in a few words, to the public, why were need to act now, by explaining how little we have of the carbon budget to say under 1.5C.
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You can make clever quips to other climate activists, about what we need to do. BUT HOW IS THAT GOING MOTIVATE THE PUBLIC TO GET BEHIND IT? AND FORCE ACTION.

Stop trying to undermine the strategy of those who have had far more impact than anyone else.
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