"Apocalyptic Guru" and "green business" for Guillaume Larrivé, "Nobel Prize for fear" and "prophetess in short pants" with Julien Aubert, and "no to obscurantist infantilization", according to Jean-Louis Thieriot. MPs The Republicans do not mince their words to criticize the arrival of Greta Thunberg in the National Assembly Tuesday, July 23, not hesitating to call for a boycott.

🌍I call my fellow MPs to boycott @GretaThunberg in the National Assembly. To fight climate change intelligently, we do not need apocalyptic gurus, but scientific progress and political courage.https: //t.co/Qs4Lna2dXE

🇫🇷 Guillaume Larrivé (@GLarrive) July 20, 2019

@ GretaThunberg was invited to the National Assembly for the meeting. I respect the freedom to think ... but do not count on me to applaud a prophetess in short pants, "Nobel Prize for fear". The planet, yes. Greenbusiness, no. https://t.co/Fgey6TJ4Bi

Julien Aubert (@ JulienAubert84) July 21, 2019

In their shower of criticism, they were joined by National Rally MP SĂ©bastien Chenu and party spokesman Laurent Jacobelli, who refused to "bow down" to the environmental activist "as if they had lessons in the past. to receive from this child a deluge that foresees the end of the world at the height of his 16 years ".

Climate-skeptical speech

Why is the muse of the fight against global warming, invited by 162 members of the transpartisan collective for the climate "Accelerate", not welcome? "All this agitation reveals the political break between left and right on the issue of the environment and global warming," said Daniel Boy, research director at Sciences Po and specialist in political ecology contacted by France 24. " Republicans have never been engaged in the fight against global warming, "says the researcher.

If the ecological issue has never figured in the political priorities of the right, it seems that Republicans want to go further. "They are trying to install their climate-skepticism in the party program, says Juliette Grange, researcher in political philosophy at the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) .That was implied until now, it fits from now on in their speech. "

In this perspective, MPs who seek to denigrate the media icon of ecology want to marginalize his speech, said Daniel Boy. "With their very caricature about the sect and the sermon, they tend to assimilate Swedish ideas to the pedagogy of fear, maintained by the supporters of collapsology (the end of the world) for example", adds there. The content of his speeches is worth to be regularly taxed puppet his parents, NGOs, political parties or lobbies.

On Tuesday, the young activist will not speak in the Chamber, but will be received by the Vice-President of the National Assembly. She must participate, from noon, in a debate in the room Victor Hugo, located in the basement, and which can accommodate 350 people. At the meeting open to parliamentarians, Greta Thunberg will speak alongside the climatologist and Giec member, Valérie Masson-Delmotte. "They will decide on the dangers of global warming and will call to work on the risks," said Daniel Boy, which excludes any extremist speech. "The climate risk is real, we know, people are experiencing every day the consequences of warming between drought and temperatures that exceed 40 ° C in the north of France," he adds.

"The most important threat to the oil industry"

Criticism also concerns the legitimacy of this 16-year-old girl, who has neither a scientific nor a political background. "She is certainly neither an expert, nor a scientist, nor a bobo who warns about the climate, comments Juliette Grange, author of 'For a philosophy of ecology' (Agora ed.). a very academic look that is simply expressed, a hit among 13-20 year olds Not only does it make its ideas heard by young people on social networks, but its voice also affects the educated classes and the whole of society She is the voice of a generation. "

From COP24 in Poland last December to the Davos forum in January, his uninhibited speech goes around the world and addresses the powerful. In early July, OPEC general secretary, Nigerian Mohammed Barkindo, described the teenager as "the biggest threat to the oil industry".

"Thanks to her, ecology has earned its place in society"

The icon of ecology, which has just been haloed in Caen by the Normandie region of the Prix Liberté, is disturbing. "A woman, young, who calls for policies predominantly male and major decision-makers out of prestigious schools, says Juliette Grange.Of course that does not please.

For this reason, politicians, but also journalists and ideologues fear that Greta Thunberg influences the formatting of public opinion. Juliette Grange summarizes: "Whatever one thinks of it, ecology has earned its place in society thanks to it, so this popularity is necessarily scary."