Greta Thunberg demands 'crisis' response to climate change

[snoop1130]

Greta Thunberg demands 'crisis' response to climate change

By Matthew Green

 

FILE PHOTO: Climate change activist Greta Thunberg speaks during a Fridays for Future protest in Turin, Italy December 13, 2019. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Swedish activist Greta Thunberg urged European leaders on Thursday to take emergency action on climate change, saying people in power had practically “given up” on the possibility of handing over a decent future to coming generations.

 

In an interview with Reuters television, the 17-year-old said governments would only be able to mount a meaningful response once they accepted they needed 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,” Thunberg said, speaking via video from her home in Stockholm.

 

“Above all, we are demanding that we need to treat this crisis as a crisis, because if we don’t do that, then we won’t be able to do anything,” Thunberg said.

 

Thunberg joined several thousand people, including climate scientists, economists, actors and activists in signing an open letter climateemergencyeu.org urging European leaders to start treating climate change like an “emergency.”

 

The letter was made public on Thursday, a day before a European Council summit where countries in the 27-member EU will try to reach a deal on the bloc’s next budget and a recovery package to respond to the economic shock of the coronavirus pandemic.

 

Demands in the letter included an immediate halt to all investments in fossil fuel exploration and extraction, in parallel with a rapid ending of fossil fuel subsidies.

 

It also called for binding annual “carbon budgets” to limit how much greenhouse gas countries can emit to maximise the chances of capping the rise in average global temperatures at 1.5C, a goal enshrined in the 2015 Paris climate accord.

 

“We understand and know very well that the world is complicated and that what we are asking for may not be easy. The changes necessary to safeguard humanity may seem very unrealistic,” the letter said.

 

“But it is much more unrealistic to believe that our society would be able to survive the global heating we’re heading for, as well as other disastrous ecological consequences of today’s business as usual.”

 

The letter called for climate policies to be designed to protect workers and the most vulnerable and reduce economic, racial and gender inequalities, as well as moves to “safeguard and protect” democracy.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-07-16

 

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[Tug]

Sorry Greta everyone is a bit preoccupied with the virus 

[Pilotman]

This kid is really getting on my nerves. Nobody likes a wailing banshee at their throats at every turn, especially one so newly out of the crib, She may be right, but she is also annoying.  

[anterian]

I thought she had gone back to school. If not, she should. 

[Laza 45]

This will bring out the reactionary ignorant dinosaurs ...

[William Osborne]

GTF Gretta, some countries, people are on the breadline with this virus ...

[Orton Rd]

5 minutes ago, Laza 45 said:

This will bring out the reactionary ignorant dinosaurs ...

You mean like Naomi and Lord Monkton exposing the lie that 96% of scientists agreed that climate change is man made?

 

[Pilotman]

9 minutes ago, Laza 45 said:

This will bring out the reactionary ignorant dinosaurs ...

it will bring out all the annoyed parents of the World, those who have had to put up with know all kids like this one. As I say, being right doesn't make her likeable, far from it. 

[CLS]

Does Eco-Greta need some attention? Most people have forgotten her already. In most parts of the world green parties are losing grip, because they cover only one topic that is not high on the agenda at the moment.

[Pilotman]

21 minutes ago, anterian said:

I thought she had gone back to school. If not, she should. 

Nobel Prize next, mark my words. Then try to stop her constant caterwauling ????

[mokwit]

44 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

the 17-year-old said governments would only be able to mount a meaningful response once they accepted they needed to transform the whole economic system.

OK, so its an easy fix then - just transform the whole economic system worldwide.

[DrTuner]

Lots of action being taken - maybe she missed the lockdowns and drop in industrial output. 

 

The solution seems to be to release a new virus every 6 months or so. Greta should call CCP, they'll get it done.

[Laza 45]

18 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

You mean like Naomi and Lord Monkton exposing the lie that 96% of scientists agreed that climate change is man made?

 

See.. I was right... 

[Chomper Higgot]

26 minutes ago, CLS said:

Does Eco-Greta need some attention? Most people have forgotten her already. In most parts of the world green parties are losing grip, because they cover only one topic that is not high on the agenda at the moment.

Clearly a number of people have not forgotten her.

[Tug]

41 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

This kid is really getting on my nerves. Nobody likes a wailing banshee at their throats at every turn, especially one so newly out of the crib, She may be right, but she is also annoying.  

I totally agree with you she certainly is a sanctimonious little gal but imo right in many ways we certainly do need to evolve in a responsible way towards renewables ahh the passion of youth unencumbered by experience lol 

[riclag]

fear not my little one uncle joe and sister cortez  will be your champions! If these three team up , Americans will be paying ransom size  taxes !

[RichardColeman]

Funny how she is so concerned about the planet that she completely ignores going to the country that makes the most pollution

[riclag]

3 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

Funny how she is so concerned about the planet that she completely ignores going to the country that makes the most pollution

brilliant

[steven100]

oh Greta   !   go play on the road or something ....

[pineapple01]

1 hour ago, Pilotman said:

This kid is really getting on my nerves. Nobody likes a wailing banshee at their throats at every turn, especially one so newly out of the crib, She may be right, but she is also annoying.  

Its the Drips who like her need a slapped <deleted>

[CLS]

26 minutes ago, steven100 said:

oh Greta   !   go play on the road or something ....

Right, play barbies or watch Pippi Longstocking movies.

[Enoon]

1 hour ago, Tug said:

Sorry Greta everyone is a bit preoccupied with the virus 

 

........which is actually doing a lot of the work for her.

 

Most significantly the reduction in air travel.

 

The world she posits is halfway here.

 

 

 

[Puchaiyank]

Greta needs to don a mask...and just shut up...virtually no one pays her any attention...

[Sambotte]

I don't know about the girl, i don't follow the news, but :

 

Destroying our only planet so quick, and doing NOTHING to change that (since 40 years or so we all know), is really bellow any basic concept of civilization.

 

Climate change is an extinction level problem, for all life. 

Pollution (air, soil, water) alone is a huge problem : kills millions, make even more sick, not to mention others than humans (but we consider other as resources only...).

 

Nobody cares.

Are we seriously pretending to be an evolve species, with conscience ? Really ?  ????

Not for very long anyway...

[Gracas]

So the exorcism was a failure and the demon is back out of the box.

[jaiyen]

We must treat this crisis as a crisis !   What a stupid thing to say. She has very little if any knowledge about what happens in the world. She has people writing scripts for her to make speeches and thinks that it will change the world.  The world economy has been changed now due to the corona virus so now what are her plans ?  

[rabas]

11 hours ago, Laza 45 said:

This will bring out the reactionary ignorant dinosaurs ...

Ah, dinosaurs. Back when animals were big, CO₂ was plentiful, and the world was green with no ice. What about 'green' house gas is so hard to understand?

 

I'm not against the principle of climate change, but selling CO₂ as toxic and Greta as intelligent will not get you there. 

[pineapple01]

As Parents we have all had our little Gretas n Gordons. Lasts about 2 years on n off. "Yes Dear" becomes Mom n Dads Breakfast standby. Never thought to exploit them like her Parents.

[rupert the bear]

go start in china as they pollute the most and thats not even including covid,thats one obnoxious know it all brat.yeah good luck with that

[DoctorG]

ADD is a sad affliction.