"30 Years of Blah Blah Blah": Greta Thunberg Questions Climate Talks

This week, thousands of activists have gathered in Milan to engage with policymakers to hammer out proposals for possible solutions for climate change. Amongst those present are Sweedish environmental activist, 18-year-old Greta Thunberg and her fellow youth campaigners. Greta delivered a fiery, no-holds-barred speech at the Youth4Cimate event last evening, saying much has been promised but little done to tackle global warming in almost three decades since the landmark Earth Summit. Watch her speak below.

“We can no longer let the people in power decide what hope is. Hope is not passive. Hope is not blah, blah, blah. Hope is telling the truth. Hope is taking action," said Greta, asserting that there had been "thirty years of blah, blah, blah," ie. all talk and no action by those in positions of power. " So-called leaders have cherry-picked young people to meetings like this to pretend they are listening to us, but they are not listening," she added. "There is no planet B...Change is not only possible but necessary but not if we go on like this.."

A UN report in August warned that the situation was dangerously close to spiralling out of control, with the world certain to face disruptions for generations to come. Greta and her fellow campaigners are sceptical, frustrated and urgently clamouring for swift action to be taken to address the situation and take measures to control further damage to our planet.