Swedish teen climate activist Greta Thunberg has joined several thousand protesters in Lausanne on Friday ahead of the upcoming Davos gathering of world leaders.
She called for changing the common approach to climate issues, citing current inaction in this regard:
"So far during this decade we are seeing no sign whatsoever that real climate action is coming", the 17-year-old eco-warrior addressed the mostly teenage crowd that swamped the Swiss town’s streets, before adding decisively that “that has to change”, causing the poster-holding audience to applaud.
One held up a soft toy koala with a sign around its neck that simply read "HELP" – an apparent reference to the bushfires that have been raging for several months across swathes of Australia, while another waved a cardboard sign featuring a similar message: "Wake Up and Smell the Bushfires".
Thunberg is scheduled to address the five-day summit, which will take place from 21 to 24 January in Davos, pressing with calls on governments and financial institutions to stop investing in fossil fuels, citing the globally depleting reserves of them and the dangers of extraction.
Last week, 17-year-old Thunberg, who shot to fame following her one-person school eco-protests, took a dig at tennis star Roger Federer over his sponsorship deal with the bank Credit Suisse, which has been found to have invested millions in fossil fuel.
After being asked to “wake up now”, the world’s No. 3 player quickly responded to the relentless environmentalist’s criticism. He and his fans struck back by saying that he would eagerly hold talks with his sponsors at the Swiss bank, which he has had long-term business links with. In particular, he stressed that he is open to “innovative solutions” to climate change and debating “important issues” with Credit Suisse.