The young Swedish woman, who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for her activism, gave the opening speech at the UN Climate Summit in New York
Young Greta Thunberg, in August 2018, began missing classes to protest, close to the Swedish parliament, demanding more action to mitigate climate change from politicians in her country. Greta Thunberg is responsible for the mobilization that took millions of people to the streets around the world to ask governments to take urgent action against climate change.
The Swedish teenager, just 16 years old, gave the opening speech of the Climate Summit, which took place in New York, together with the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, and said that young people are an “unstoppable” force in putting pressure on world leaders in favor of the climate. “Yesterday, millions of people around the world, especially young people, marched and called for real climate action. We demonstrate that we are united and that we young people are unstoppable”, said Greta at the Glass Palace, UN headquarters.
Greta also thanked Guterres for organizing the event and “inviting so many young activists”. “I am excited by the leadership and dynamism of the youth movement for climate action,” said the UN Secretary-General, after listening to Greta and other activists of different nationalities. “Two years ago, when I started, I was very discouraged. But at some point, there was a momentum, largely thanks to the youth movement, that started to have an impact,” he continued.
“I should be at school”
“This is wrong, I shouldn’t be here. I should be at school, on the other side of the ocean”, replied Thunberg to the leaders of 60 nations. “You still come to us young people for hope. How dare you?” The young woman denounced that the lack of concrete actions by the heads of state “stole” her dreams and her childhood with their “empty words”.
Greta warned that ecosystems are collapsing. “People are suffering. People are dying. “We are at the beginning of a mass extinction and everything you talk about is about money and a fairy tale of eternal economic growth. How dare they? For more than 30 years the science has been clear. How dare you continue to ignore the warnings and come here to say that you are doing enough? If you really understood this situation, and still failed in your actions, then you are evil. And that I refuse to believe. Here, now, let's define the limits. The world is waking up. Change is coming, whether you want it or not.”
Fridays For Future
Fridays For Future gained repercussions with 16-year-old Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg. The young Thunberg, in August 2018, protested before the Swedish Parliament, carrying a sign on which she wrote “Skolstrejk för klimatet” (“School strike for the Climate”).
The movement gained repercussion and inspired the Global Climate Strike. Acts against climate change led people to mobilize in more than 150 countries and rise up on September 20th. The mobilizations draw attention to the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which cause climate change. The acts also increase everyone's responsibility towards the environment. The date preceded the United Nations (UN) Climate Summit in New York.
In Australia, more than 300,000 people filled the streets of 100 cities. In Germany, 500 cities announced protests. In the United States, 800 cities joined the mobilization, New York City woke up with acts and Wall Street was completely taken over with around 1 million people. In Brazil, it is estimated that there were acts in at least 40 cities.
Photo credits: Lucas Jackson/Reuters
