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The generational question
 Of Boomer Posts and the Apocalypse

Of Boomer Posts and the Apocalypse
Of Boomer Posts and the Apocalypse | © Goethe-Institut Italien | Graphics: Gabriele Magro

In writing the last few posts, I got the urge to broach this entire issue of the climate justice movement and the generational question, so that is what I am doing now. The thumbnails have nothing to do with it, but it's quite funny if you send them via WhatsApp to your aunts and uncles, who impose a glitter GIF for every name day. They just might get a little "climate anxiety" too, because ultimately a fear shared is a fear halved.

We detested each other so much

Good Mooorning! In einer Exxon-Studie aus dem Jahr 1979 hieß es, dass „die Verbrennung fossiler Brennstoffe in den kommenden Jahrzehnten dramatische Auswirkungen auf die Umwelt haben wird.“ „Es handelt sich um ein großes und dringendes Problem“, so die Conclusio. Doch anstatt den Ergebnissen der von ihnen finanzierten Forschung Beachtung zu schenken, schlossen sich die großen Ölkonzerne zusammen, um die Erkenntnisse zu verheimlichen und ein Gegennarrativ zu entwickeln, das den wachsenden wissenschaftlichen Konsens in Bezug auf den Klimawandel torpedierte. (Chris McGreal, The Guardian, 30. Juni 2021)
Good Mooorning!
In 1979, an Exxon study said that burning fossil fuels “will cause dramatic environmental effects in the coming decades.” “The potential problem is great and urgent,” it concluded. But instead of heeding the evidence of the research they were funding, major oil firms worked together to bury the findings and manufacture a counternarrative to undermine the growing scientific consensus around climate science. (Chris McGreal, The Guardian, 30 June 2021) | © Goethe-Institut Italien | Graphics: Gabriele Magro
Blessed be the man or woman who said "OK Boomer" for the first time somewhere on the Internet many years ago. The wave has now reached Italy too, and for those who have not lived on planet Earth in the past two years (lucky dogs!), an article in the daily Il Sole 24 Ore sums up the concept as follows:

The expression ‘OK Boomer’ encapsulates (...) the exasperation of a young generation that is tired of enduring and is simply asking to be respected and heard - to be taken seriously.

As I said: Blessed be the first "OK Boomer," because the phenomenal spread of the meme has made visible a generational conflict that was in evidence before, there were no words for it until now. Now there are, and now we can reflect on the enormous significance that this conflict has for the climate change movement.

Boomers and doomers

Food for thought: In its 2021 report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states: If our production systems continue to rely on intensive use of fossil fuels, temperatures could rise by 3.3 to 5.7 degrees Celsius (5.9 to 10.3 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels by the end of this century. By comparison, the Earth has warmed by no more than 2.5 degrees Celsius (4.5 degrees Fahrenheit) for more than 3 million years. The consequences would be so catastrophic as to be almost unimaginable.
Food for thought
In its 2021 report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states: If our production systems continue to rely on intensive use of fossil fuels, temperatures could rise by 3.3 to 5.7 degrees Celsius (5.9 to 10.3 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels by the end of this century. By comparison, the Earth has warmed by no more than 2.5 degrees Celsius (4.5 degrees Fahrenheit) for more than 3 million years. The consequences would be so catastrophic as to be almost unimaginable. | © Goethe-Institut Italien | Graphics: Gabriele Magro

It would all be far easier if you could identify a victim and a perpetrator at once: Someone to blame (the baby boomers, who were born during the economic boom between 1945 and 1964), and a completely innocent person, who bears the consequences (the millennials, born in the 1980s and 1990s).

"It would all be far easier if you could identify a victim and a perpetrator at once: Someone to blame (the baby boomers, who were born during the economic boom between 1945 and 1964), and a completely innocent person, who bears the consequences (the millennials, born in the 1980s and 1990s)," Luca Sandrini wrote in The Bottom Up. That would be easy indeed, but reality is different: A study conducted in 2019 shows that younger generations are less inclined to get involved in politics and society, and that includes environmental issues. It's no secret: passed over by parliamentary politics, Zoomers and Millennials are more cynical and disillusioned than their parents. Their attitude is often that of Doomers, who feel they don't have the requisite power to make a difference in society -- - an attitude that is understandable, of course, but also quite counterproductive.

It’s a boomer world, baby
The loss of biological diversity is one of the most severe human-caused global environmental problems. In the 177 mammals for which we have detailed data, all have lost 30% or more of their geographic ranges and more than 40% of the species have experienced severe population declines (>80% range shrinkage).” (Gerardo Ceballos, Paul R. Ehrlich, and Rodolfo Dirzo, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, July 2017)
The loss of biological diversity is one of the most severe human-caused global environmental problems. In the 177 mammals for which we have detailed data, all have lost 30% or more of their geographic ranges and more than 40% of the species have experienced severe population declines (>80% range shrinkage).” (Gerardo Ceballos, Paul R. Ehrlich, and Rodolfo Dirzo, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, July 2017) | © Goethe-Institut Italien | Graphics: Gabriele Magro
Yes, baby boomers are the generation with the highest CO2 emissions. And yes, they are also the generation that has ignored warnings from scientists about climate change for decades. But at the same time, they are also the generation with the strongest purchasing power, and a GWI study shows that they would be quite willing to spend more money to change their habits and consume more sustainable products. Now, if we want to fight for ethical consumption (an extremely difficult endeavour, as it is not clear how it will pan out after all) we must realise that we cannot win this battle without the baby boomers, so we have to convert them. On the other hand, it's clear that this is also the generation with the most political power. Data from the Pew Research Centre clearly show that Boomers are actually prepared to listen to the demands of the environmental movements (the survey is really well done and works with current data; take a look).

In a nutshell, the time is ripe and, whether we like it or not, a prerequisite for changing our society and its production systems actively is to build a constructive intergenerational dialogue. So it is up to us to speak clearly about climate justice, transition (link to Belgium article) and post-capitalism (link to France article). It is up to us to be patient with aunts and uncles at the Christmas dinner.

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