Fresh from the climate strike that took hundreds of thousands of young people out of classrooms and into the streets across the world, youth leaders have gathered at the United Nations to demand radical moves to fight climate change.
Sixteen-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who started the climate strike protest with a lone demonstration outside her country’s parliament about 18 months ago, said: “We showed that we are united and that we, young people, are unstoppable.”
More than 700 mostly young activists attended the first Youth Climate Summit, according to Luis Alfonso de Alba, the UN special climate summit envoy.
Over 4 million on #ClimateStrike today. In 163 countries. And counting…
If you belong to the small number of people who feel threatened by us, then we we have some very bad news for you:
This is just the beginning. Change is coming – like it or not. #FridaysForFuture pic.twitter.com/MHGRNx1tnH— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) September 21, 2019
The strike across six continents and Saturday’s youth conference comes ahead of a full climate conference next week at the UN General Assembly, which has placed the issue of climate change at front and centre as world leaders gather for the annual meeting.
Activists at Saturday’s gathering demanded money for a fund to help poorer nations adapt to a warming world and provide greener energy.
They also insisted that the world should wean itself quickly from coal, oil and gas, which causes climate change.
Argentine climate activist Bruno Rodriguez said: “Stop the criminal contaminant behaviour of big corporations.
“Enough is enough. We don’t want fossil fuels any more.”
Jayathma Wickramanayake, the UN Secretary-General’s youth envoy, called climate change “the defining issue of our time. Millions of young people all over the world are already being affected by it”.
During Ms Thunberg’s lifetime, the Earth has already warmed 0.6 degrees Fahrenheit (0.34C).
Fijian climate activist Komal Karishma Kumar said global warming is not just taking a toll on the planet but on her generation, especially people from vulnerable places like her Pacific island nation.
She said: “Young people from different parts of the world are living in constant fear and climate anxiety, fearing the future, the uncertainty of a healthy life or a life for their children at all.
“I do not want our future generations to submerge with our sinking islands.”
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