‘You have stolen my dreams and childhood’: Greta Thunberg sobs as she tells world leaders: ‘You’re still not mature enough to tell it like it is, the eyes of future generations are upon you’ – after Trump blithely upstages her at UN Climate Summit
- Environment activist Greta Thunberg broke down in tears while speaking at the U.N. Climate summit in New York on Monday
- The 16-year-old called out the leaders gathered there saying: ‘I shouldn’t be up here. I should be back in school. You have stolen my dreams and childhood’
- The UN Summit sought to get nations to make plans to stop the rise of global heat-trapping emissions, propagated by fossil fuels and energy demands
- Thunberg, who is not usually emotional in her speeches, seemed furious she rebuked leaders calling them ‘not mature enough to tell it like it is’
- She was seen glaring at President Donald Trump when he upstaged her entrance to the summit as he was not scheduled to attend
Environment activist Greta Thunberg made a fiery appearance at the United Nations Climate Summit on Monday where she broke down in tears while furiously scolding international delegates.
‘I shouldn’t be up here. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. Yet you all come to us for hope. How dare you. You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words,’ the 16-year-old Swedish activist thundered in her speech at the Climate Action Summit 2019 in New York.
Thunberg was seen at the UN headquarters Monday morning with an enraged expression on her face as US President Donald Trump upstaged her entrance by walking in behind her flanked by news reporters.
The UN summit convened to have nations make plans to confront global warming and rising fossil fuel emissions.
Environment activist Greta Thunberg made a fiery appearance at the United Nations Climate Summit on Monday where she glared at Donald Trump when he walked into the UN headquarters in front of her
Thunberg could hardly contain her anger as she walked into the summit behind Trump. He was not scheduled to participate in the summit that seeks international action against global warming, but attended the conference for just 15 minutes
The environmental activist choked on tears while speaking at the United Nations Climate Summit on Monday, where she thundered against leaders for stealing her generation’s future
The 16-year-old called out the leaders gathered there saying: ‘I shouldn’t be up here. I should be back in school. You have stolen my dreams and childhood’
Monday’s UN Summit sought to get nations to agree to a plan of action to curb the rising number of global emissions that contribute to global warming. Thunberg pictured right on stage with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (far left)
‘There will not be any solution or plans in line with these figures here today because these numbers are too uncomfortable and you’re not mature enough to tell it like it is,’ Thunberg, who is usually not as emotional in her speeches, said.
‘You are failing us. The young people are starting to understand your betrayal. The eyes of all future generations are upon you.
‘And if you choose to fail us, I say, we will never forgive you,’ she added on the brink of tears.
‘Right here, right now is where we draw the line. The world is waking up and change is coming whether you like it or not,’ she said to uproarious applause.
Thunberg held nothing back as she thundered against the politicians and officials at the UN climate summit.
‘You come to us young people for hope. How dare you?’ she roared.
‘You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words, yet I’m one of the lucky ones. People are suffering, people are dying, entire ecosystems are collapsing,’ she said.
‘You’re not mature enough to tell it like it is,’ Thunberg, who is usually not as emotional in her speeches, said as she rebuked international leaders
Thunberg spoke at the Climate action Summit at the United Nations on Monday
Thunberg held nothing back as she thundered against the politicians and officials at the UN climate summit saying: ‘You come to us young people for hope. How dare you?’
Trump pictured at the UN Climate Action Summit on Monday where he shut his eyes during the presentation and remained for just 15 minutes
Trump didn’t stay long and seemed preoccupied as he checked his watch during the summit
Trump wasn’t originally scheduled to attend the summit as he’s hosting a session on religious persecution in the same building.
He upstaged Thunberg’s entrance into the UN building Monday morning as he walked in after her and was flanked by reporters and cameras as Thunberg stood in the background with a livid expression on her face.
The president stayed at the conference for just 15 minutes.
The summit, entitled ‘A Race We Can Win. A Race We Must Win’ and convened by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, seeks to mobilize political and economic energy to advance climate action.
Areas of discussion included energy transition, climate finance, carbon pricing, industry transition, nature-based solutions, cities and local action and resilience.
In the meeting Guterres pushed to end new coal plant construction by 2020.
While the United States will not be participating, China, France, Germany, India and Russia and about 70 other countries are expected to make announcements concerning climate change at the Monday summit.
Guterres praised young people like Thunberg for demanding change.
‘My generation has failed in its responsibility to protect our planet. That must change. The climate crisis is caused by us, and the solutions must come from us,’ he said.
After her speech, Thunberg was seen speaking with German Chancellor Angela Merkel
Greta also spoke with 15 other children from across the world to present an official human rights complaint on the climate crisis targeted at five of the world’s leading economic powers. They presented the complaint to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
On Saturday Thunberg spoke at the Youth Climate Summit at the United Nations headquarters in New York
Thunberg has been making waves in New York this week. Pictured above on Friday speaking during the Global Climate Strike demonstration in New York where protesters took to the streets, parks, and plazas around the world demanding more aggressive steps against global warming
A UN science report released Sunday revealed that emissions into the Earth’s atmosphere are continuing to surge and G-20 nations are responsible for 80 percent of those emissions, and they’re still failing to meet their low targets to reduce climate impact.
The UN estimates there needs to be between a three-fold and five-fold increase in efforts to cut greenhouse gases, to prevent global temperatures rising more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.
The summit came on the heels of a global Youth Climate Strike on Friday where millions of people around the world protested in streets, parks and plazas to demand faster action to address climate change.
On Saturday, Thunberg appeared at the Youth Climate Action Summit where young leaders from around the world convened to showcase climate solutions.
Thunberg had traveled to the US by yacht to avoid flying.