Thunberg calls for action, not praise
WASHINGTON: Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, hailed by United States politicians for her action that has sparked a worldwide, youthdriven push to fight for climate change, has told them to save their praise and start taking action.
Thunberg was praised as a ‘‘superpower’’ for her work, one senator describing the 16yearold and other young activists as bringing ‘‘moral clarity’’ to the fight against global warming.
But she rejected the accolade, telling yesterday’s Senate forum, ‘‘save your praise’’.
‘‘We don’t want it,’’ she added, especially if officials intend to talk about climate change ‘‘without doing anything about it’’.
Thunberg gained international attention by inspiring a series of protests and school strikes, including a global strike in 150 countries, set for tomorrow.
Activists are calling for immediate action from the world’s governments to halt global warming, reduce fossil fuel consumption and avert environmental catastrophe.
‘‘I know you’re trying,’’ she told Democratic senators at an invitationonly forum, ‘‘but just not hard enough. Sorry.’’
Instead of listening to her and other teenagers, politicians should invite scientists for their expertise on ways to slow a catastrophic rise in global temperatures, Thunberg said.
‘‘This is not about us. This is not about youth activists.
‘‘We don’t want to be heard. We want the science to be heard.’’
Thunberg is in Washington for several days of rallies and lobbying efforts in advance of the Friday global climate strike and will address the UN Climate Action Summit in New York on Monday. — AP