"Fridays for Future" climate activists should switch from only protesting against the current system to setting a personal example of living a low-carbon life, Rae Kwon Chung, a UN climate expert and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, told Sputnik
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th January, 2020) "Fridays for Future" climate activists should switch from only protesting against the current system to setting a personal example of living a low-carbon life, Rae Kwon Chung, a UN climate expert and a Nobel Peace prize laureate, told Sputnik.
"It's [the climate movement] meaningful because they are ringing the bell. But that will not change the world, because instead of just sending the alarm bells, they have to say that they are willing to live a different world, which means that they are willing to pay higher price for energy, and willing to reduce personal consumption. They should have said that," Chung said.
He noted that protesters themselves "grew up with high carbon." So, now they should show their readiness to accept low-carbon future, "which means no private car, you have to take a bus, you have to walk or cycle."
"So are you really willing to change your lifestyle? Are you really willing to pay the price for clean energy? That is something they have to answer before ringing the bell and blaming somebody," he added.
The Fridays for Future initiative was inspired by teen activist Greta Thunberg, who became an international celebrity in August 2018 when she had her first "climate strike" by skipping school to protest outside the Swedish parliament. She later continued to do this every Friday.
In 2019, such climate rallies swept the world, uniting those dissatisfied with the lack of climate action by authorities.
