Greta Thunberg

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

"We must always stand up and speak up against oppression, imperialism, war, all forms of discrimination and racism. To stand with Palestine is to be human. We cannot allow ourselves to be silenced,"

"“We cannot remain silent. No one can remain silent when there is an ongoing genocide and when people are denied the most basic human needs,”"

"“We need to stop hosting climate conferences in places like Azerbaijan, a country that is repressing its own population to an extreme degree… If we are standing up for justice, that has to mean justice for everyone.”"

"“As the COP29 climate meeting is reaching its end, it should not come as a surprise that yet another COP is failing. … The people in power are yet again about to agree to a death sentence to the countless people whose lives have been or will be ruined by the climate crisis.”"

"Sweden in particular is very good at greenwashing and framing themselves as a climate leader, when we have very high emissions per capita … So we are not a climate leader at all.”"

"We can’t give them any legitimacy in this situation, which is why we are standing here … saying no to greenwashing and no to the Azerbaijani regime.”"

"It is nauseating to see the hypocrisy and double standards of holding a climate-focused conference in Azerbaijan."

"“We are in a planetary emergency and we are not going to stand by and let people lose their lives and livelihood and be forced to become climate refugees when we can do something.”"

"“Sweden is unfortunately not unique in completely ignoring the climate crisis, not treating it as an emergency at all. But actively trying to greenwash, deceive and lie in order to make it seem like they are doing enough… So we are not a climate leader at all.”"

"It is clear that private jets are incompatible with ensuring present and future living conditions on this planet. So we’re not going to let this continue. We’re not going to let the rich, who are responsible for the majority of aviation emissions, get away with sacrificing people and the planet in order to maintain their extreme lifestyles."

"We must remember who the real enemy is.”"

"We are here because we are facing an existential crisis. We are in a planetary emergency, and we are not going to stand by and let people lose their lives and livelihood and be forced to become climate refugees when we can do something.”"

"The climate crisis is only going to get worse and so it is all our responsibilities, all of those who have an opportunity to act must do so.”"

"We are in a planetary emergency (…) It is our duty to demand justice for the future generations.”"

"We feel like we have no other choice but to try new, different methods in order to get our voices heard.”"

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

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

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

"We did nothing wrong."

"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."

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

"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."

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

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

"We have the science on our side."

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

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

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

"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."

"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."

"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,"

"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’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."

"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."

"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..."

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

"You can shove your up your arse."

"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."

"We say no more blah blah blah. No more exploitation of people and the nature and the planets … no more whatever the fuck they are doing inside there."

"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."

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

"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."

"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."

"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."

"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."

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

"We can still avoid the worst consequences, we can still turn this around. But not if we continue like today. You have the resources and possibilities to change the story overnight."

"Whether or not you choose to rise to that challenge is up to you. Either way, history will judge you."