5. Natural resources > > 5.9 Speeches Greta Thunberg was born in 2003 and is from Stockholm in Sweden. She’s an environmental activist who has addressed the United Nations Climate Change Conference and the UN Climate Action Summit, In 2019, Time magazine named her as one of their hundred most influential people. She’s also been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Greta Thunberg’s book, No One is Too Small to Make a Difference, is a collection of speeches she has given around the world. “Iwas diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) me selective mutism. That basically means I only speak when I think it's necessary. Now is ones of those moments.” co Novembée.2018 fs ¢ 37 ) 1 Read and listen to these two extracts from Greta Thunberg’s book. ‘What tells you that they were written to be spoken rather than to be read? 2 Read the extracts again and answer the questions. ‘When | was about eight years old, | first heard about something © apparently: usa@'to called climate change, or global warming. Apparently, that was say that you've readjor something humans had created by our way of living. Iwas told to tum _| been told somethifig but ‘off the lights to save energy, and to recycle paper to save resources. you're not sure it’s tie 5 | remember thinking that it was very strange that humans, who are "capable: able todo ‘an animal species among others, could be capable of changing the something ‘earths climate. e°threaten: to bellKely Because, if we were and iit was rally happening, we wouldn't to harm or destrof be talking about anything else. As soon as you turned on the TV, something 10 everything would be about that. Headlines, radio, newspapers. very: used to You would never ead or hear about anything else. As if there was Seneca dist ya) ‘world war going on. are talking about one But. No one talked about it. Ever. particular thing If buming fossil fuels was so bad that it threatened our very existence: the,State of 15. existence, how could we just continue like before? Why were being; being alive 6t real there no restrictions? Why wasn’t it made illegal? restrictions: rules or To me, that did not add up. It was too unreal. laws that limit or control what people can do ®illegal: against the law a Whats the issue that Greta Thunberg is concerned about? b Why do you think she starts by giving the point of view of her eight-year-old self rather than as she is now? LS 16>5.9 Read and respond 20 25 0 8 if we were and if it was really happening ...”: what is she referring to here? She says the media should have reacted ‘as if there was a world war going on’. What does she mean by this, and why does she use this simile? Why does she use single words as whole sentences? At the end of passage, Greta says... that did not add up.” What does she mean? ‘Some people say that we are not doing enough to fight climate change. But that is not true. Because to ‘not do enough’ you have to do something, And the truth is we are basically not doing anything, ‘Yes, some people are doing more than they can, but they are too few or too far away from power to make a difference today. ‘Some people say that the climate criss is something that we all have created. But thats ust another convenient lie. Because if everyone is guity then no one is to blame, ‘And someone is to blame. Some people — some companies and some decision-makers in particular — have known exactly what priceless values they are sacrificing to continue making, ‘unimaginable amounts of money. | want to challenge those companies and those decision-makers into real and bold climate action. To set their ecomonic goals aside and to safeguard the future living conditions for humankind. I don't believe for one second that you will ise to that challenge. But | want to ask you all the same. | ask you to prove me wrong. For the sake of your children, for the sake of your grandchildren, For the sake of life and this beautiful living planet. | ask you to stand on the right side of history. | ask you to pledge to do everything in your power to push your own business or government in line with a 1.5°C world Will you pledge to do that? Will you pledge to join me, and the people al around the world, in doing whatever it takes? In this first paragraph, how does Greta Thunberg use logic to challenge her audience? People most often talk about ‘a convenient excuse’, Why does Greta Thunberg talk about a ‘convenient Ii “If everyone is guilty, then no one is to blame’: What is the logic of this? Who do you think she means by ‘the decision makers"? basically: used to say that you are talking about the most important aspects of something ®®no one is to blame: (= no one is to be blamed) no one is responsible for something bad happening 2° priceless: so valubble that you can't say how much it would cost % sacrifice: to give Up something that jy valuable to you in order tohelp another pefsan “unimaginable: th&tyou car'timagine ®® challenge: to ask; someone to do something difficult bold: not frighterled of difficulty or danger set aside: to putt: one side, to forget about temporarily 2° safeguard: to prategt from harm or dange humanki beings ‘prove someone wrong: to use evidénde to show that somedne is wrong 2®for the sake of: order to help sompone or improve their lives. ®® pledge: to make serious promise i all huivan5. Natural resources > Aa 3 k What surprises you most in this paragraph? 1 Why do you think she mentions people's grandchildren here? m What do you notice about the last paragraph? ildren and Read and listen to the third extract from No One is Too Small to Make a Difference. Do you think it comes from the beginning or the end of a speech? ‘We must change almost everything in our current societies. The bigger your carbon footprint the bigger your moral duty. ‘The bigger your platform — the bigger your responsibilty. ‘Adults keep saying: ‘We owe it to the young people to give them hop. But I don’t want your hope. | don't want you to be hopeful | want you to panic. | want you to feel the fear | feel every day. ‘And then | want you to act. I want you to act as you would in a crisis. L want you to act as if our house is on fire, Because itis. Answer these questions. a Why do you think Greta Thunberg doesn’t want adults to be hopeful? b Why does she compare the climate crisis with a house on fire? What stylistic features do you notice about this extract? Work in groups. Practise reading the extract aloud as if you were giving a speech. ‘Values Write your own short speech about an environmental issue that concerns you. It could be the issue you chose for Project 2. 4 ALSTRIAN e £-\worRetpb SUMMIT