Teen eco-activist Greta Thunberg meets Britain’s big-name politicians to demand action on climate change
TEENAGE activist Greta Thunberg met Britain’s political big-hitters to demand action on climate change yesterday.
The 16-year-old Swede was assured she had been heard after telling them that she was tired of repeating the same message.
Greta, who has inspired 1.6million pupils to join protests, said: “Did you hear me? Is my English OK?
“I’m beginning to wonder. During the last six months I’ve travelled around Europe for hundreds of hours on trains, electric cars and buses repeating these life-changing words over and over.
“But no one seems to be talking about it and nothing has changed. Emissions are still rising.”
Environment Secretary Michael Gove responded: “The time to act is now. The challenge could not be clearer. Greta, you have been heard.”
Greta, who has been nominated for a Nobel Prize, began her movement with a lone protest outside Sweden’s parliament eight months ago.
Yesterday, she sat down with Mr Gove, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, Lib Dem chief Vince Cable, Green Party leader Caroline Lucas and the Westminster heads of the SNP and Plaid Cymru at Portcullis House.
Greta told them she was fortunate to be born in a time when everyone was told to dream big.
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She said: “We had everything we could ever wish for. And yet now we may have nothing.
“Now we probably don’t even have a future. Because that future was sold so that a small number of people could make unimaginable amounts of money.”
Yesterday, the eight-day climate protest she helped to inspire in London was winding down, with just 1,000 activists left in Parliament Square.
The Sun Says
GRETA Thunberg is in some ways an admirable child: Bright, engaged, passionate about her cause and inspiring to other kids.
What troubles us are the credulous adults fawning over her.
In Greta’s black-and-white view, climate change is frying the planet while wicked corporations cash in and lazy governments “don’t listen to the science”.
It’s simplistic nonsense. Governments try to balance tough environmental action with keeping people in jobs and families fed. The general strike Greta demands — or the end of air travel — would bring only chaos and hardship.
Britain is a world leader in emissions reduction. So why are Greta and her aides here lecturing us instead of China, India or the US? Simple. Most journalists won’t interrogate a girl of 16 over her well-meaning naivety.
But our endless supply of vacuous, needy politicians WILL indulge her.
And the grandstanding Commons Speaker John Bercow will welcome her to Parliament like she was Nelson Mandela instead of a wide-eyed kid too young to vote.
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