July 16, 2020, 11:11 am
Swedish activist Greta Thunberg signed an open letter with thousands of others on Thursday (July 16) urging European leaders to take emergency action on climate change.
The 17-year-old also accused some people in power of practically "giving up" on the possibility of handing over a decent future to coming generations.
She said authorities would only start a meaningful response to climate change once they accepted they had to transform the whole economic system.
"We need to see it as, above all, an existential crisis. And as long as it's not being treated as a crisis, we can have as many of these climate change negotiations and talks, conferences as possible; it won't change a thing."
The letter was made public on Thursday - a day before a European council summit where EU countries will try to reach a deal on the bloc's next budget.
Demands in the letter include an immediate halt to investments in fossil fuel exploration and extraction.
It also called for binding annual “carbon budgets” to limit how much greenhouse gas countries can emit.
And it wants leaders to develop climate policies designed to protect workers and reduce economic, racial and gender inequalities.
Video Transcript
[CHEERING]
- Swedish activist Greta Thunberg signed an open letter with thousands of others on Thursday urging European leaders to take emergency action on climate change. The 17-year-old also accused some people in power of practically giving up on the possibility of handing over a decent future to coming generations. She said authorities would only start a meaningful response to climate change once they accepted they had to transform the whole economic system.
GRETA THUNBERG: We need to see it as, above all, an existential crisis. And as long as it's not being treated as a crisis, we can have as many of these climate change negotiations and talks, conferences as possible. It won't change a thing.
- The letter was made public on Thursday, a day before a European Council summit where EU countries will try to reach a deal on the bloc's next budget. Demands in the letter include an immediate halt to investments in fossil fuel exploration and extraction. It also called for binding annual carbon budgets to limit how much greenhouse gas countries can emit, and it wants leaders to develop climate policies designed to protect workers and reduce economic, racial, and gender inequalities.
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