Leah Langley presents the fight of Greta Thunberg to raise awareness of climate change.
Greta Thunberg has become globally known after her dedication and efforts to raising global awareness of climate change and the risks that come along with it, as well as holding politicians accountable for their lack of action in the “climate crisis”. Back in 2018-19, the 16-year-old started spending her school days outside of Swedish Parliament demanding for action to be taken to reduce the risks of future global warming. The school strikes soon picked up and have since been seen globally throughout several different countries with the world’s youngsters joining in to demand for action against climate change.
In august of 2019, Thunberg sailed the Atlantic Ocean, aboard the Malizia II, to attend several climate conferences in New York City and Chile. The 15-day voyage started in Plymouth, England and ended in New York City, United States. The Malizia II is a racing yacht that is fitted with solar panels and underwater turbines meaning the trip was able to be a carbon neutral transatlantic crossing further exemplifying Thunberg’s beliefs of reducing emissions.
Thunberg arrived in New York in time, where she was greeted by hundred of supporters and fellow American climate youth strikers, to attend the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit. Whilst attending the summit, Thunberg went global again for calling out world leaders for their “betrayal” of young people through their ignorance to the climate crisis. Her speech was felt worldwide as she told members of different governments that they were not “mature enough to tell it like it is”. She called them out for their failure but assured them that young people were starting to fight back and realise the betrayal that had unfolded. The most stinging part of the speech and the line by which the whole speech was remembered was “you have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words”. Thunberg became visually emotional as she told world leaders that if they chose to fail the younger generation again, they will never be forgiven.
It is unclear how long Thunberg plans on staying in the Americas or how she plans on making the journey back to Europe, but the world is watching with eagle eyes to see what this young activist has coming next.
