Greta blast at PM ‘hot air’ in climate battle
GRETA Thunberg has lashed out at world leaders including Boris Johnson over “empty promises” to tackle the climate crisis.
Speaking at a youth summit on global warming, the activist, 18, poked fun at the Tory PM, quoting his statement that: “This is not some expensive, politically correct, green act of bunny hugging.”
She added: “Build back better. Blah, blah, blah. Green economy. Blah, blah, blah. Net zero by 2050. Blah, blah, blah.
“This is all we hear from our so-called leaders.
“Words that sound great but so far have not led to action.
“Our hopes and ambitions drown in their empty promises.”
Carbon emissions are on track
Build back better. Green economy. Net zero by 2050. Blah, blah, blah...
to rise by 16% by 2030, according to the UN, rather than fall by half, which is the cut needed to keep global heating under 1.5C.
Thunberg, whose climate strike in 2018 sparked protests by millions of young people, told the Youth4Climate meeting in Italy: “We can still turn this around.
“It will take immediate, drastic annual emission reductions. But not if things go on like today.
“Our leaders’ intentional lack of action is a betrayal toward all present and future generations.”
Some 400 activists from 180 countries have been invited to Milan for the three-day event.
It will send proposals to COP26, the UN climate summit in Glasgow next month. Thunberg added: “They invite cherry-picked young people to meetings like this to pretend that they listen.
“But they don’t listen. We can no longer let the people in power decide what is politically possible.”