Does Greta Thunberg Make You Uncomfortable? Good. Get Used To It.

This much should be clear at this point:

• Greta Thunberg is not here for anyone’s patronizing back pats.

• Greta Thunberg is not here for anyone’s nervous little twitters.

• Greta Thunberg is not here to assuage anyone’s discomfort.

• Greta Thunberg is not here to be anyone’s cute little climate change activist trophy to keep up on a shelf.

Greta Thunberg is here for real change.

Yesterday at U.N. headquarters, Greta looked out at the assembled with a disgust she could scarcely hide, nearly twitching with rage, spitting out the unvarnished truth in a room used to long, dry speeches. In her captivating five minutes addressing the Climate Action Summit, she stressed that words without action are not only cheap, they kill people. Empty words are time-wasting niceties that do nothing of real benefit for those who are staring down a future that feels desolate and frightening. At best, these idle words are shiny little bows on a box of toxic waste meant to steer eyes away from what can be seen quite plainly: the young people of today and future generations are being handed a box of refuse. Words without action when the words are about matters of such grave consequence are, in fact, insults. Words about a subject…