We admire the passion and determination of Greta Thunberg. With only 16 years old, she has proven to have more clarity than many educated adults. And she is not only about words, but she also takes action and gives example. Just the fact of traveling to New York in a zero-emission vessel shows that 1/ she has people supporting her mission and 2/ she is for real.
Let us see her speech in front of the United Nations. We have added the text of the whole speech for you to be able to read it at your own pace and a video if you are more visual.
ABOUT THE SPEECH
Her speech was very emotional this time. As much as we admire what she represents, we are not sure if the message needed that additional drama. In my opinion, I liked it better when she was more assertive and calm. Still, the data that she brought is really alarming and we, as a society, need to take action pronto.
It got me concerned- as the mama I am- if we are putting to much pressure on her. This was a very much anticipated speech and now the world is looking at everything she does -on and off-camera. And let´s face it, there are some serious trolls out there, translating into additional pressure.
All this might be affecting her. Let´s not forget that Greta is at the end of the day a teenager. A bright teenager. A teenager with a mission. But at teenager nonetheless. I remember how convoluted were those days for me.
I read all sorts of messages saying that the eco-movement is utilizing her as a propaganda tool. She started this, she has a strong message and it got viral. I don’t think anyone -including her-could foresee or plan how big it would grow. So, no, I don’t think she is manipulated in any way. What I do believe is that maybe it is time for other leaders to give a hand and allow Greta to rest from the public eye a bit.
Watch Greta Thunberg´s speech here.
WHOLE GRETA THUNBERG´S SPEECH AT UN- NEW YORK SEPT 2019
“This is all wrong. I shouldn’t be standing here. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. Yet you all come to me for hope? How dare you! You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. And yet I’m one of the lucky ones. People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are at the beginning of mass extinction. And all you can talk about is money and fairytales of eternal economic growth. How dare you!
For more than 30 years the science has been crystal clear. How dare you continue to look away, and come here saying that you are doing enough when the politics and solutions needed are still nowhere in sight.
The popular idea of cutting our emissions in half in 10 years only gives us a 50% chance of staying below 1.5C degrees, and the risk of setting off irreversible chain reactions beyond human control.
Maybe 50% is acceptable to you. But those numbers don’t include tipping points, most feedback loops, additional warming hidden by toxic air pollution or the aspects of justice and equity. They also rely on my and my children’s generation sucking hundreds of billions of tonnes of your CO2 out of the air with technologies that barely exist. So a 50% risk is simply not acceptable to us – we who have to live with the consequences.
To have a 67% chance of staying below a 1.5C global temperature rise – the best odds given by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – the world had 420 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide left to emit back on 1 January 2018. Today that figure is already down to less than 350 gigatonnes. How dare you pretend that this can be solved with business-as-usual and some technical solutions. With today’s emissions levels, that remaining CO2 budget will be entirely gone in less than eight and a half years.
You are failing us. But 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. We will not let you get away with this. 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.”
United Nations Greta Thunberg´s Speech
New York – Sept 2019
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2 Comments
Douglas Reos
30 September 2019 at 08:36Great article! Have you been hearing all the news about Greta Thunberg? OMG I can’t believe how much of an impact that girl is making all on her own! She is really making a difference in climate change. :]
Pat Machle
13 December 2019 at 00:16Did you hear who Time Magazine made person of the year? Its Greta Thunberg. I guess I should have seen that coming. Dana Perino even predicted it. I think it’s great!