Activist Greta Thunberg Urges European Leaders To Address Climate Change

Environmental activist Greta Thunberg (Twitter @GretaThunberg)

JAKARTA - Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg urged European leaders to immediately take emergency action to save the planet from climate change. This was voiced by him considering that many people in power have given up on presenting a better future for future generations.

On that basis, the 17-year-old returned to his voice on television run by Reuters on Thursday, July 16. Thunberg wants those who are truly powerful to do something meaningful for the earth. One of them is so that policy masters in Europe can change the entire economic system.

"We need to see it as, above all, an existential crisis. And as long as it is not treated as a crisis, we can have as many negotiations and talks on climate change, as many conferences as possible. It will not change the problem," said Thunberg, speaking via video from his home. in Stockholm, Sweden.

It's time to #FaceTheClimateEmergencyThis is our open letter and demands to global leaders, signed by thousands of activists, scientists, representatives of civil society influencers. We'll keep collecting signatures and urge everyone to sign & share-> https://t.co/jq0Pwp5KZc pic.twitter.com/fNVhoTXUOj

- Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) July 16, 2020

"Above all, we demand that we need to treat this crisis as a crisis, because if we don't do that, then we won't be able to do anything," he was quoted as saying by Channel News Asia.

Previously, Thunberg had joined several thousand other people, including climate scientists, economists, actors and activists in signing the open letter to climateemergencyeu.org. The open letter will urge European leaders to start treating climate change with responsive action.

He had also sent a letter on Thursday, just a day before the European Council Summit which presented 27 member states of the European Union. Even so, the agenda to be discussed at the summit is only to accelerate the agreement on the recovery package to respond to the economic shocks caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.

The letter also stated regarding the immediate cessation of all investment in exploration and extraction of fossil fuels. "We understand and know very well that the world is complex and that what we ask for may not be easy. The changes needed to protect humanity may appear very unrealistic," the letter said.

"But it is far less realistic to believe that our society will be able to survive the global warming we are aiming for, as well as the other catastrophic ecological consequences of business today as usual," the letter concluded.