Climate Change Activists

"The media must hold the people in power accountable for their actions, or inactions."

"To … minimize the risks of setting off irreversible chain reactions beyond human control, we need immediate, drastic, annual emission reductions unlike anything the world has ever seen. And as we don’t have the technological solutions that alone will do anything close to that in the foreseeable future, it means we have to make fundamental changes in our society. This is the uncomfortable result of our leaders’ failure to address this crisis."

"Third, and most important of all, justice. The climate crisis isn’t just about extreme weather. It’s about people. Real people. And the very people who have done the least to create the climate crisis are suffering the most. And while the Global South is on the frontlines of the climate crisis, it’s almost never on the front pages of the world’s newspapers."

"Second, holistic thinking. When considering our remaining carbon budget we need to count all the numbers and include all of our emissions. Currently, you are letting high income nations and big polluters off the hook, allowing them to hide behind the incomplete statistics, loopholes and rhetoric they have fought so hard to create during the last 30 years."

"First, the notion of time. If your stories do not include the notion of a ticking clock, then the climate crisis is just a political topic among other topics, something we can just buy, build or invest our way out of. Leave out the aspect of time and we can continue pretty much like today and ”solve the problems” later on. 2030, 2050 or 2060."

"If you want to truly cover the climate crisis, you must also report on the fundamental issues of time, holistic thinking and justice."

"We are sick and tired of it and we are going to make the change whether they like it or not … We are not going to let them get away any more."

"We have drones flying above us every night, but for Palestinians, especially in Gaza, those drones are dropping bombs constantly,"

"This mission is about Gaza, it isn’t about us. And no risks that we could take could even come close to the risks the Palestinians are facing every day."

"“I think the world needs many more young angry women, to be honest,”"

"“Also to send solidarity and say that we see you, we see what is happening and we cannot accept just witnessing all this and doing nothing.”"

"“This is yet another intentional violation of rights that is added to the list of countless other violations that Israel is committing.”"

"“I was very clear in my testimony that we were kidnapped on international waters and brought against our own will into Israel,”"

"absolutely nothing compared to what people are going through in Palestine and especially Gaza right now”"

"We were 12 peaceful volunteers sailing on a civilian ship carrying humanitarian aid on international waters. We did not break laws. We did nothing wrong."

""We are doing this because, no matter what odds we are against, we have to keep trying. Because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity.”"

""We are speeding in the wrong direction on the climate crisis.”"

""Our governments and the international community are failing to uphold human dignity. They contribute to the impunity of those responsible for ecological and human genocide. That leaves us as the only adults in the room.”"

""For me, there is no way of distinguishing the two. We cannot have climate justice without social justice. … No matter the cause of the suffering—CO₂ or bombs or state repression—we have to stand up.”"

""Of course it’s good that the Palestinian cause is more on the agenda, but these symbolic gestures will lead nowhere unless they are accompanied with real action.”"

""If you care about a habitable planet you should also care about humans. … We can’t pretend to care about the environment while we ignore the suffering and oppression of people.”"

""If watching children being systematically starved, over two million people being systematically starved by Israel is not enough to motivate you to get out of the couch, then what is it going to take?"

"“I think the world needs many more young angry women, to be honest, especially with everything going on right now.” — comment after being described as “angry” by a political figure."

"“The words we will use to describe people who are standing on the wrong side of history, supporting or committing war crimes, those words do not exist yet, those slurs do not exist yet, but we will be using them …” — addressing political leaders during the Gaza-aid flotilla."

"“We were 12 peaceful volunteers sailing on a civilian ship carrying humanitarian aid on international waters… We did not break laws. We did nothing wrong.” — after her deportation/interception in international waters."

"“We are doing this because, no matter what odds we are against, we have to keep trying. Because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity.” — in relation to the humanitarian aid mission she joined."

"Inside COP they are just politicians and people in power pretending to take our future seriously, pretending to take the present seriously of the people who are being affected already today by the climate crisis. Change is not going to come from the inside; that is not leadership. This is leadership."

"You can shove your up your arse."

"May 2021 be the year of awakening and real bold change. And let's all continue the never-ending fight for the living planet."

"The worst-case scenario I guess I’ll buy second-hand, but I don’t need new clothes. I know people who have clothes, so I would ask them if I could borrow them or if they have something they don’t need any more. I don’t need to fly to Thailand to be happy. I don’t need to buy clothes I don’t need, so I don’t see it as a sacrifice. I’m not telling anyone else what to do, but there is a risk when you are vocal about these things and don’t practise as you preach, then you will become criticised for that and what you are saying won’t be taken seriously.... I don’t think it’s selfish to have children. It is not the people who are the problem, it is our behaviour..."

"People need to enhance their knowledge about the environment and demand action against climate change... We need to educate ourselves to understand the global processes linked to the climate crisis, to see what’s happening to our planet. People must learn as much as they can – there’s unlimited amount of information – and spread this information to create a social movement and shift the social norm. Because if we are enough people who demand change and advocate climate action, we will reach a critical mass and will no longer be possible to ignore. It’s not a small task but it’s something that we simply need to do because there’s no other option. Restoring Nature is not only a solution to the climate crisis, but also to the biodiversity crisis and so on."

"I’m just a teenager... My opinions on this doesn’t matter​. You should rather look at the science and whether his policies are in line with the Paris agreements and to stay below 1.5 or even 2 degrees Celsius, and then you can clearly see that, no, it’s not nearly enough in line with the science. That’s not me saying, that’s just black and white, looking at the facts​. I would just like you to basically just treat the climate crisis like a crisis. They have said themselves that this is an existential threat... They are just treating the climate crisis​ ​as it was a political topic, among other topics and, yeah, treat it as a crisis, that’s the No. 1 step​. So what we need now is to raise awareness and to create public opinion to treat the crisis like a crisis. Because if people are not aware of the crisis that we face, of course they wouldn’t put pressure on the elected leaders. So I would just tell him to, to tell the situation as it is... how can you expect support and pressure from voters if you are not treating the crisis like a crisis."

"They invite cherry-picked young people to meetings like this to pretend that they listen to us. But they clearly don’t listen to us. Our emissions are still rising. The science doesn’t lie. We can no longer let the people in power decide what is politically possible. 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. And hope always comes from the people."

"I am pleased to announce that I've decided to go net-zero on swear words and bad language. In the event that I should say something inappropriate I pledge to compensate that by saying something nice. #COP26,"

"We are never going back to normal again, because "normal" was already a crisis. What we refer to as "normal" is an extreme system built on exploitation of people and planet. It is a system defined by colonialism, imperialism, oppression and genocide by the so-called Global North to accumulate wealth that still shapes our current world order. Some people say that the system is now malfunctioning, but that is not true. The system is doing exactly what it is meant to be doing. If economic growth is our only priority, then what we are experiencing now should be exactly what we should be expecting."

"The Cops are mainly used as an opportunity for leaders and people in power to get attention, using many different kinds of greenwashing. [The Cop conferences] are not really meant to change the whole system... As it is, the Cops are not really working, unless of course we use them as an opportunity to mobilise."

"yes, please do enlighten me. email me at [email protected]"

"The world must pay attention. The people of Georgia deserve to have their voices heard."

"This summit, like the one before it, is a pure act of greenwashing."

"We have the science on our side."

"2023 was the hottest year ever recorded. Climate disasters, wars, oppression, and inequalities further intensified – killing and displacing countless people."

"We won’t stop speaking out about Gaza’s suffering – there is no climate justice without human rights."

"The coming months and years – right now – will be crucial to what the future looks like. It is what we decide now that will define the rest of humanity’s future."

"We are still rushing towards the cliff. We could trigger feedback loops that are beyond human control, that would throw countless billions under the bus."

""If we do not [phase out fossil fuels], it will be a death sentence for countless people."

"Yesterday I was part of a group that peacefully protested the expansion of a coal mine in Germany. We were kettled by police and then detained but were let go later that evening... Climate protection is not a crime."

"We did nothing wrong."

"We need to think about new things, new ways."

"We can no longer let the people in power decide what is politically possible."

"We are not going anywhere. This fight has only just begun."