Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg has criticised world governments for "shamelessly congratulating themselves" for insufficient pledges to cut emissions and promises of financing, as she addressed delegates at the Youth4Climate summit in Milan.
In her speech, Thunberg insisted that “our leaders' intentional lack of action is a betrayal of all present and future generations,” as quoted by AFP.
"This is not about some expensive politically correct dream of bunny hugging, or build back better, blah blah blah, green economy, blah blah blah, net zero by 2050, blah blah blah, climate neutral blah blah blah," she declared.
As The Daily Mail points out, Thunberg was apparently mocking the speech delivered by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the virtual climate summit in April, when he said: "We can build back better from this pandemic by building back greener."
The newspaper also notes that UK Conservative MP Steve Baker did not seem particularly impressed by Thunberg’s remarks, saying that he would encourage her to “stand for election in Wycombe and explain to the public in Wycombe, many of whom are hard pressed working people, what it would actually mean to implement her policies.”
"It is increasingly clear that the cost of net zero includes dramatically unaffordable changes to all our lives," Baker elaborated. "It is thanks to environmental extremism that we are not using the shale resources in our own country and as a result our gas prices are soaring."
The Youth4Climate is a three-day event ahead of the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow.