Greta
Thunberg meets Justin Trudeau amid climate strikes: 'He is not doing enough'
Teen has
private meeting with Canadian prime minister, who later says he ‘agrees with
her completely’
Climate
crisis: 6 million people join latest wave of global protests
Guardian
staff and agencies in Montreal
Fri 27 Sep
2019 22.31 BSTLast modified on Sat 28 Sep 2019 00.41 BST
The teen
activist Greta Thunberg has urged Justin Trudeau and other world leaders to do
more for the environment as she led half a million protesters in Montreal as
part of a global wave of “climate strikes.”
The
16-year-old Swede met privately with the Canadian prime minister but later told
a news conference with local indigenous leaders that he was “not doing enough”
to curb greenhouse gases responsible for global warming.
“My message
to all the politicians around the world is the same. Just listen and act on the
current best available science,” she said.
Thunberg
generated headlines around the world earlier this week with her viral so-called
“How Dare You?” speech at the UN climate summit, accusing world leaders of
betraying her generation.
The teen
has inspired millions of youths, drawn to her cause by her passion and a
mature, committed rhetorical style that belies her young age.
She has
also drawn mockery from some, including Donald Trump, who tweeted sarcastically
that “she seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful
future”.
Without
naming the US president, Thunberg said she didn’t “understand why grown-ups
would choose to mock children and teenagers for just communicating and acting
on the science when they could do something good instead”.
“We’ve
become too loud for people to handle so people want to silence us … We should
also take that as a compliment.”
Trudeau and
other Canadian party leaders took a breather from a tight election campaign to
join Thunberg at the Montreal rally – along with around 500,000 protesters,
according to organizers.
Walking
with his wife and children, Trudeau mingled with a boisterous crowd that
brandished placards reading “Respect Mother Earth” and “Make America Greta
Again” – a riff on a campaign slogan popularized by Trump, a noted climate
change skeptic.
One man was
tackled by security when he appeared to lunge at the prime minister, while
13-year-old Annabelle Vellend broke out in tears when she spotted Thunberg,
telling AFP: “I really believe in Greta’s movement.”
“She is
doing amazing things and it’s great that she’s able to press politicians to act
on climate change, during an election,” she said.
In his
first term, Trudeau cast himself as a champion in the fight against global
warming, but his green image was tarnished by his nationalization of an oil
pipeline to salvage the construction project after years of delay.
The prime
minister said after meeting Thunberg and pledging to fund the planting of 2bn
trees: “I agree with her entirely. We need to do more.”
Earlier
this week, the Liberal leader vowed that Canada would reach net-zero carbon
dioxide emissions by 2050, joining 66 other countries that have already signed
on to the pledge.
Last
Friday, more than 4 million youths – and adults – rallied in “climate strikes”
around the world.
Turnout at
events a week on was smaller, but still vocal. In Italy, hundreds of thousands
of young people took to the streets while an estimated 40,000 protested outside
New Zealand’s parliament.
In Canada,
events also attracted huge crowds in the capital, Ottawa; in Toronto; and in
several other cities.
In the
heart of the giant Montreal march, made up mostly of children and a few adults,
Alexanne Lessard stood out in her tree costume.
“I’m here
for our future, to show our government that we the majority want to do
something and that they can take big steps that will an impact,” she said.
Daphnee
Choquette said she came out for her baby girl, whom she carried with her.
“It’s too
late for us [older people], but not for them. We need to bring about change
now,” she said.
Sem comentários:
Enviar um comentário