LYCEES Maxence NUGIER: What is the point of grassroots action if the powerful do nothing?

My parents made the choice to get rid of their old diesel car and buy an "eco-friendly" electric one. But, what's the point? 80% of electricity in France is nuclear!

When my friends and I go for a long walk in the mountains, we sometimes pick up litter; it's our good deed for the day. But, what's the point? Every year, millions of tons of rubbish are not recycled, just buried in landfills!

I take the train, not the plane, to go on holiday abroad now, because the train pollutes less. But, what's the point? There are over 6,000 very large, very polluting, container ships in the world, transporting a lot of stuff that could easily be made much closer to the consumers, to avoid transport!

I switch off lights and turn off taps and only flush the loo when really necessary. But what's the point? Bill Gates travels by luxury private jet and has just spent 500 million dollars on a yacht!

I'm really pleased and proud to be able to vote soon. But, what's the point? Whoever I vote for will not be able to do much against the petrochemical, agribusiness or pharmaceutical lobbies!

I am asking you, ladies and gentlemen, fellow delegates, what’s the point of me, my family and my friends, trying to be virtuous eco-friendly citizens, when the multinational firms, when the State and local authorities, and when wealthy individuals do so little to "save the planet"?

Do you remember the Conference Of Parties 21 (COP21 if you prefer) that took place in Paris in November 2015? Everyone was very proud of the results: the countries that signed the final agreement would finally act to fix the environmental problems that we are causing. The climatologists were finally listened to; their research was at last taken seriously. I remember that every media was talking about it like it was the event of the century, the beginning of a new era, an era of more responsible production and consumption. Because this event aimed to try to limit global warming to under 2°C!? You and I know that that is not enough and that, in fact, we will never be able to keep temperature rise under 2°C...

Let’s be realistic: we live in a globalized economy where predatory capitalism, based on unfettered competition, overexploitation of the resources, materialistic individualism and hedonistic overconsumption, is the rule. “Sustainable development” does not get a look in! It's pure utopia, it's just greenwashing! Just like the COP21; what multilateral agreements are respected?: the UN, the EU, the governments are all useless! At least Trump cannot be accused of hypocrisy when he pulled the USA out of the agreement! The other countries, including France, have basically done nothing to reduce global warming. Why? Because transnational companies pull the strings; governments are at their mercy. Do you really think shareholders care about democracy, the poor, the future generations, the planet?

Am I being pessimistic or realistic? Is there a way out? Is grassroots action a solution? “Grassroots action” simply means you and I, ordinary people, trying to do something at our level, individually and collectively, to improve our lives. But only a tiny percentage of people are angry enough or crazy enough to go out and protest on the streets to try and influence public opinion, to put pressure on governments and businesses; have they been able to do anything to improve the conditions of the workers, the poor, women, minorities, refugees, the children in hunger-stricken and war-torn regions of the world? Basically, no is the answer. And do you honestly think a teenage girl, however bright and brave, can, even with the support of thousands of young people, halt doomsday? You can join FridaysForFuture or even Greenpeace or Friends of the Earth, or welcome refugees in your village, boycott products, turn off taps and switch off lights and peddle to school all you want, but will that be enough to stem the tide? You can also believe, if you like, the sincerity of the billionaires and populist presidents when, in the luxury of the Swiss village of Davos, they cry crocodile tears and applaud Greta Thunberg, vowing to make amends, promising to green their factories and share dividends a little more...

The vast majority of people would have to get seriously involved if grassroots action is to be effective. I don't see that happening: the less poor do not want to change their habits to lose what little comfort and sense of security they have, and the very poor are just trying to make ends meet, day to day. No, if the planet is to remain inhabitable, it's up to the wealthy and mighty. But, why would they want to lose all their advantages? According to Oxfam, the world’s richest 1% have more than twice as much wealth as 6.9 billion people, while nearly half of the world’s population - 3.4 billion people - is living on less than $5.50 a day… The powerful are compromising the survival of “the people”, but do they really care about that? Why should Bezos share his $145 billion fortune or Bolsonaro prevent the rainforest going up in smoke or Putin stop slaughtering Syrian families or Trump disappoint his followers?

If anyone survives, it'll be them, the corrupt leaders and the mega-wealthy. When we will all be dying of disease, thirst and hunger, from fires or floods, they’ll be playing golf in luxury bunkers or sipping cocktails on their private islands, chuckling away to themselves at how weak and gullible we all are..