Greta Thunberg is Not a Hypocrite

Media Obtained From Wix

I've been seeing a lot of talks lately about how Greta Thunberg, a young but inspirational leader in the country-wide movement for more sustainable living and environmental care, is a hypocrite. The main reason (that I have seen) that people are calling Greta Thunberg a hypocrite is because she was seen riding on a diesel train eating food out of disposable plastic containers using plastic silverware. Below is a picture of the viral Facebook post that I have been seeing, posted by Jeff Lenney:

Photo Obtained From Facebook (Link is Attached to Photo)

My question to those who are claiming that Greta is a hypocrite is this: Why are you harshly judging a teenager for having to use what is around her to eat? It doesn't make sense. We are all forced to partake in at least some aspects of society, whether we like it or not. Someone told me, "There are alternatives that she could have used, such as hemp plastic." Yes, hemp plastic is an alternative, but she can't call her grocery store or the public dining services that she uses just to make the request that her food is served using hemp plastic. Manufacturers use disposable plastic because it's cheap. Disposable plastic is almost impossible to avoid because of how commonly and widely it is used, whether it be in the packaging of food or in the packaging of your toilet paper.

The point is, we need food and other necessities to survive, yet these necessities are produced by wasteful manufacturers. We can't just avoid using the wasteful products by these manufacturers, even those packaged in disposable plastic. It's not that Greta wanted to use so much plastic, it's that she had to because she was hungry and that was all that was available for her to use. The only way she can really avoid using these things is if she convinces the huge manufacturers she got her food from to stop using disposable plastic, and that isn't something someone can just do in the matter of a day.

Despite the plastic, she did many things that are sustainable. She was eating a vegan potato salad, for example. Some may deny that veganism is beneficial to the environment, when it is, in fact, beneficial. Raising livestock uses a lot of resources, such as water, food, and space. Furthermore, the practice produces a lot of waste. One example of this is how cow farms produce large amounts of manure and methane gas (which is a very harmful greenhouse gas). Growing up in a rural country, I can easily notice this waste production. Compared to livestock, crops are a much greener solution. Crops do require water, but farmers obtain a larger crop yield from a certain amount of land than they would obtain from livestock using the same amount of land. This would feed more people while using fewer resources. Crops also perform photosynthesis, which converts the carbon dioxide we produce from cellular respiration into oxygen, which a majority of living organisms need to survive, including humans.

Now, about the diesel-burning train. Yes, it is burning diesel. But it is also a mode of public transportation. This is one train compared to all of the motorized vehicles that the passengers on that train would otherwise have to use. Some of those passengers may have big, diesel trucks. Others yet may have cars that are just gas guzzlers. Environmental scientists suggest using public transportation as much as possible to reduce pollutant emissions from other vehicles into the atmosphere.

Basically, Greta Thunberg is not a hypocrite. She inspires people all over the country to live more sustainable lifestyles, just as she is doing. Some days it is harder to live sustainably because of how society has shaped our lives, but nevertheless, she is trying her best. Most of the people saying that she is a hypocrite do not work half as hard as she does to live more sustainable lifestyles, so in a way, these people calling Greta a hypocrite are hypocrites themselves. I have seen comments insulting her for being autistic, being a "stupid teenager", and other hurtful and irrelevant insults. These comments just show how uninformed and immature you are. So...

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