Greta Thunberg’s book

I just finished reading “The Climate Book” not quite authored by the young environmental activist Greta Thunberg, but rather by a collection of thought and opinions gathered from over one hundred experts, ranging from geophysicists, oceanographers and meteorologists; engineers, economists and mathematicians; historians, philosophers and Indigenous leaders that have taken turns to share how vital it is for the rest of us to combat the climate disaster that is lurking at our door. 

Missing in that volume are any concerted effort to curb a still growing planetary human population. Aside from that, what I’ve learned from that book is that everything depends on the willingness of northern rich, developed nations to make some huge sacrifices in order to meet the goals of the Paris accords and stop weather deterioration. 

If the most affluent 10% of the global population produces 50% of the emissions, as the book states, we don’t need to look far as to where the obvious sacrifice needs to come from. No one, among the richest of us, will be willing to give up their material advantages that translate into high revenues, plush personal comfort and unlimited transportation. The absence of true political will is another revealing element. What’s more likely to happen is that when confronted with the irreparable, something will have to give. 

Will it be a war from the poor against the rich? From those who have no more place to live on, moving to the planet’s higher grounds, or from billions of destitute trying to get something from 800 millions of well off individuals? I don’t know exactly how ugly the situation will become to finally force us to share, but what’s certain is that it promises to be highly unpleasant for our posterity and I sincerely hope we won’t live to witness it…