A tweet made five years ago by activist Greta Thunberg has sparked a wave of ridicule on Twitter. In the June 2018 publication, Thunberg echoed a talk given by a "top climate scientist" at the University of Chicago in which he asserted that "climate change will end humanity unless we stop using fossil fuels in the next five years."
"A top climate scientist is warning that climate change will wipe out all of humanity unless we stop using fossil fuels over the next five years."https://t.co/AOr2DDZORc
— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) June 21, 2018
Greta's tweet captures part of a speech given by James Anderson, an atmospheric chemistry professor at Harvard University, which took place at the University of Chicago in 2018. In it, the scientist warned that climate change is drastically pushing the Earth back to the Eocene, a period of time 33 million years B.C., when there was no ice at any of the poles. According to the expert, for the planet to survive, all the pollution caused by fossil fuels would need to be removed from the atmosphere. Something that would only be possible through "a World War II-style transformation of the industry."
The prediction, which is unlikely to come true with just three months to go before the exact five-year anniversary of the tweet's publication, prompted thousands of users to call the young activist - and the scientist - to account for her talents as a fortune-teller.
"Not like the last 12 times"
Users responded to the tweet or retweeted it from 2023, highlighting the fact that they are still alive despite the young Swedish woman's dire prediction. Several users, such as former University of Alabama Earth Science Professor, Matthew Wielicki, took the opportunity to remind us that these predictions by climate change radicals have been failing for years. Wielicki resigned from his position at the University last January denouncing that they have gone from being "places that embrace the freedom to exchange ideas" to places where they will "punish those who go against the narrative."
And this time they mean it. Not like the last 12 times. pic.twitter.com/1XG8IA3fcr
— Dr. Matthew M. Wielicki (@MatthewWielicki) February 22, 2023
La mentirosa adolescente con desvaríos, de nuevo vuelve a fracasar públicamente anunciando el fin del mundo climático 🤡 y acá estamos en 2023 y estamos de maravilla.
— Eduardo Menoni (@eduardomenoni) March 7, 2023
They thought the afterlife "would be better"
Other users asked with derision if we were not already in the afterlife... from which they expected something "better." Some simply pointed out that the appointed time has passed and asked "what's up?"
Is this the afterlife?
I thought it’d be…better
— Jay D. Cartere (@JayCartere) March 7, 2023
It’s been 5 years GT, what’s up?
— Rodney Muterspaw (@chiefmuterspaw) March 7, 2023
Remembrances to Al Gore
There were also those who took the opportunity to recall other great prophecies of climate gurus, such as those of former Vice President Al Gore 23 years ago.
Back in 2000 Al Gore said Miami Florida would be underwater by now. That was 23 years ago. And yet here we still are all safe
— Kathleen Winchell 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸❤️🤍💙ULTRAMAGA (@KathleenWinche3) March 7, 2023