Environmental activist Greta Thunberg said today upon arriving at the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) that these meetings “have become greenwashing circuses,” but that it is necessary to continue pressuring decision-makers.
Greta Thunberg, who had not attended a United Nations Climate Change Conference since Glasgow, Scotland, in 2021, nevertheless considered that the gathering constituted “an opportunity to mobilize citizens.”
“We are here, as activists, to press those in power to actually implement what they have been talking about for decades,” she told reporters and attendees at COP31.
According to the environmentalist, the climate crisis is “out of control” and global warming threatens young people around the world, especially the most vulnerable.
Thunberg noted, on the occasion, that climate negotiations have been taking place for more than three decades, but “emissions of greenhouse gases worldwide continue to rise,” contributing to climate change.
“As young people, our future is under threat and we need to raise our voices and demand changes,” said the 23-year-old, who as a teenager launched the “Fridays for Future” movement of school strikes to highlight the climate crisis.
COP31, which began on Monday and brings together representatives from nearly 200 countries, will run until November 20 in the city of Antalya, Turkey, something the activist also criticized.
“We cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that the host country, Turkey, violates numerous fundamental rights,” she said.
