If you are really old, you may recall a humorous song written by Grant Stewart and performed by Andy Stewart, the Irish Rovers and others
Just got in from the Isle of Skye
I'm not very big and I'm awfully shy
The ladies shout as I go by
Donald where's your troosers?
Let the winds blow high,
Let the winds blow low,
Down the street in my kilt I go
And all the ladies say hello
Donald where's yer troosers?
(and so on)
It needs an update:
Nicola took us for a fall
Virtue signalling to one and all
She was afraid the world would stall
'Cause she didn't have any brain cells
Let the winds blow high,
Let the winds blow low,
Let climate go where it will go
Sensible folks all say, "Hello,
Nicola where's your brain cells?
If there was ever a time to panic about climate change, it would be now. Temperatures have demonstrably risen over the past decades, and in October, the United Nations warned that we only had 12 (now 11) years until climate change becomes irreversible. It’s clear that we should have taken action a long time ago, but at this point, we have to effect change ASAP. Luckily, some countries are starting to realize this—like Scotland.
On April 29, “The Independent” reported that the First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon declared a climate emergency and pledged to combat global warming. At the Scottish National Party’s (SNP) spring conference, Sturgeon acknowledged that youth climate strikers partially influenced her decision.
“A few weeks ago I met some of the young climate change campaigners who’ve gone on strike from school to raise awareness of their cause,” Sturgeon said, per “The Independent.” “They want governments around the world to declare a climate emergency. They say that’s what the science tells us, and they are right.”
“Today, as First Minister of Scotland, I am declaring that there is a climate emergency and Scotland will live up to our responsibility to tackle it,” she continued.
And then there is this quote:
“Through both direct employment and jobs in the wider supply chain, the North Sea [oil and gas] has been a major contributor to earnings and employment growth in Scotland for over four decades, not least from the above average wages and spending power of those who work in the sector,”
Scotsman
Hypocrites!
BBC News notes that Sturgeon’s government previously outlawed fracking in Scotland. At the SNP conference in April, the first minister also said that the country has committed to being carbon neutral by 2050.
The youth climate strikers who Sturgeon referred to have been walking out of school for months to protest climate change. “Time” magazine notes that Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old Swedish activist, started the movement in August 2018, and since then, she’s become a force for change, demanding that politicians take the warming planet seriously. On May 23, Thunberg and 46 other youth climate activists published an open letter in “The Guardian” calling for a global climate strike beginning on Sept. 20.
Sturgeon’s April address already seems like it has put pressure on other governments to follow suit. According to BBC News, on May 1, the U.K. Parliament also declared a climate emergency, following the precedent set by Scotland, Wales, and dozens of British towns. On May 10, “The Washington Post” reported that Ireland had joined the U.K., becoming the second country to recognize the dire straits that we’re in. […]
Now that both Ireland and the U.K. have recognized climate change as the emergency that it is, other countries need to step up as well. Sturgeon’s declaration (with the rest of the U.K.) was a huge step forward, and that momentum needs to keep going.
One would think that all good kilt wearing Scots would welcome a warmer wind blowing up their Khyber. But perhaps they enjoy being cold and miserable?
Our very own Associate Minister for Trashing the Economy attempted to get the New Zealand parliament to declare a climate emergency. National’s Todd Muller objected, so the motion lapsed – for now.
