Canada's Most Trusted News. On International Youth Day, adults should remember that young people aren't just the future – they are heavily involved in changing our present for the better too. But don’t worry. Trust me, I’ve done this before and I assure you it doesn’t lead to anything. Below is a transcript of the address she delivered. Outside Frankfurt City Hall, demonstrators held signs with slogans like “Environmental protection, not capitalism,” and “If you breathe air, you should care.”, One young woman held a poster of an ostrich with its head stuck in the ground and its posterior on fire. Image: REUTERS/Denis Balibouse 21 Jan 2020. ( Janerik Henriksson/TT News Agency via AP). The 18-year-old bird lover and founder of the non-profit Black2Nature said she believes it's the most northerly climate strike ever. At an event hosted by The New York Times on Tuesday, the 17-year-old Swedish climate activist recalled the words of her 2019 Davos speech.

On the contrary, they seem to understand the fact that we need to change more than you do. Thousands of primarily young protesters took to the streets of cities across Germany as part of the Friday for Future protests demanding for more to be done to fight climate change. So either you do this or you’re going to have to explain to your children why you are giving up on the 1.5-degree target. I said I wanted you to panic. she said. A few hours prior to this speech, Thunberg made remarks at a panel with other young environmentalists, warning that time was running out to keep the increase in global temperature below 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit). It may seem like we’re asking for a lot. Last week I met with coal miners in Poland who lost their jobs because their mine was closed. The coronavirus outbreak has prevented the Fridays for Future movement that Thunberg inspired from holding its mass rallies in recent months, lowering its public profile. She joined fellow demonstrators outside the Swedish Parliament on Friday to kick off a day of socially distanced global climate protests. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and others protest in front of the Swedish Parliament Riksdagen in Stockholm, on Sept. 25, 2020. All Transcripts 2020 Election Transcripts Classic Speech Transcripts Congressional Testimony & Hearing Transcripts Debate Transcripts Donald Trump Transcripts Entertainment Transcripts Financial Transcripts Interview Transcripts Political Transcripts Press Conference Transcripts Speech Transcripts Sports Transcripts Technology Transcripts. Image: FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images. ", One young woman held a poster of an ostrich with its head stuck in the ground and its posterior on fire. We are still telling you to panic, and to act as if you loved your children above all else," she concluded. Teenage environmental activist Greta Thunberg is back. One year ago I came to Davos and told you that our house is on fire. Published Friday, September 25, 2020 9:06AM EDT Last Updated Friday, September 25, 2020 4:40PM EDT SHARE STOCKHOLM -- Teenage environmental activist Greta Thunberg is … If high emissions continue like now even for a few years, that remaining budget will soon be completely used up. Students around the world soon began following her lead, staging regular large protests, and she was invited to speak to political and business leaders at U.N. conferences and the annual World Economic Forum in Davos. We are not telling you to keep talking about reaching “net-zero emissions” or “carbon neutrality” by cheating and fiddling around with numbers. Immediately end all fossil fuel subsidies. And you will of course say that we are naive. That it seemed so bad for the economy that we decided to resign the idea of securing future living conditions without even trying?" We couldn’t care less about your party politics. Silence. But the fact that we’re all about to fail the commitments you signed up for in the Paris Agreement doesn’t seem to bother the people in power even the least.

And even they had not given up. Because distant net zero emission targets will mean absolutely nothing if we just continue to ignore the carbon dioxide budget — which applies for today, not distant future dates. We don’t want these things done by 2050, 2030 or even 2021, we want this done now. Her group encourages inner-city children from black and ethnic minority backgrounds to explore nature. And then — nothing. Thunberg had three immediate demands for Davos participants. STOCKHOLM - Teenage environmental activist Greta Thunberg is back. She then gave a list of demands: We demand that at this year’s World Economic Forum participants from all companies, banks, institutions and governments: Immediately halt all investments in fossil fuel exploration and extraction. Addressing business and political leaders in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, she said their "inaction is fueling the flames by the hour" and accused them of "empty words and promises.". Or something worse than silence. The Associated Press "I think the youth strike movement is amazing because it's brought so much energy to the anti-climate change movement where suddenly hundreds of thousands of young people around the world have a voice and they're using it. ( Janerik Henriksson/TT News Agency via AP)