'She Says Everyone's an Idiot': Former Norwegian PM and Climate Pioneer Slams Greta Thunberg

Gro Harlem Brundtland, regarded as "the mother of the nation", has joined the list of Norwegian politicians and opinion makers who've criticised Greta Thunberg for "rejecting the whole idea of democratic political change" and "cultivating pure contempt for politicians".

Former Norwegian Prime Minister and environmental pioneer Gro Harlem Brundtland has given Swedish teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg a tongue-lashing.

The 82-year-old begged to differ when Thunberg described the recent climate summit in Glasgow as "blah blah blah" and that politicians "only pretend to take our future seriousl" and promised to bring about change "whether they liked it or not".

The long-time environment minister and three-time prime minister regarded as "the mother of the nation" took a hard line against Thunberg's counterproductive stance, which the newspaper Dagbladet described as a "frontal assault".

"She says that everyone is an idiot and that none of them does anything", Brundtland said, as quoted by the newspaper Dagbladet. "She points out political leaders and says that everyone is bad. She should have rather pointed out the leaders who are better than others. To say that everyone is bad gets you nowhere, unless you are running a revolution", Brundtland said, suggesting that no revolution is on the agenda now.

The former head of the UN World Commission on Environment and Development, sometimes referred to as the Brundtland Commission, emphasised that given there are nearly 200 nations on Earth, it is not surprising that it takes an entire generation for everyone to agree. Brundtland argued that summits have been and still are crucial in pushing for decisions that lead to concrete policies

"Compromises are made and this leads the political process forward. It's slow, but it's moving us all forward, and we have no real options", Brundtland said.

Apart from serving as prime minister in 1981, 1986-89, and 1990-96, Brundtland is known for her keen interest in environmental issues, which were nowhere near as popular as they are now. In 1987, under Brundtland, the report "Our Common Future" with strategies for solving climate problems was presented.

This is not the first time Thunberg, a media darling and the poster child of the contemporary environmental movement, has been on the receiving end of a dressing-down in Norway. Her recent set of anti-establishment tirades spurred Norwegian Climate Minister Espen Barth Eide to accuse her of "rejecting the whole idea of democratic political change".

Kjetil Alstadheim, the political editor of the newspaper Aftenposten minced no words as he accused Thunberg of "cultivating pure contempt for politicians".

"It gives cause for concern. She is a role model for many. She risks leading them into something authoritarian, anti-democratic, and downright dangerous. Her rhetoric is just a single step short of demanding anything beyond civil disobedience", Alstadheim wrote in an opinion piece called "Is it allowed to criticise Greta Thunberg?".

The COP26 climate summit was held in Glasgow, Scotland, between 31 October and 12 November. Its goal was to reach meaningful environmental commitments on the reduction of greenhouse emissions, carbon neutrality, global warming, and climate financing.