Ruben van der Laan, you got it wrong.
It is not what leaders do, but what is done by people who do themselves what is right. To do what is right requires some knowledge, moral compass, and determination. Courage to stand against the dominant argument not needed to be mentioned.
I write this because your mention of the unification of Germany brings back my memories. In the 1970s, in my native Poland, I was among those who tried to do what was right. We did not do much, but it was enough for the Soviet Union to trip over that. In 1980 I wrote a book (in Polish only) “Could it be better in Poland?” I speculated about the possible fall of the Soviet Union. By the way, I envisioned the unification of Germany almost exactly as it happened. Reviewers of my book rolled their eyes and questioned my sanity. One of the reviewers was Wiesław Górnicki, the chief political advisor to general Jaruzelski. Hence, I can claim that my views were at least known to my political opponents. By the way, in previous years, Mr. Górnick held my political writings in high esteem.
I am bringing the past because I have analyzed the climate change issue the same way I did the political situation in Poland in 1980. Then the dominant position was that the Soviet Union would last for eternity. Now the dominant position is that we should spend recklessly all the money we have and all the money we can borrow to stop climate change.
As I did in 1980, I have the courage to express my disagreement with the dominating mantra.
Hence, if you want to do something meaningful, you should start from an understanding views of people who disagree with you. Here are my findings:
