Greta Thunberg’s speech at UN climate change conference

00:08:20
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11FCyUB81rI

Summary

TLDRThe speaker discusses the urgent need to limit global warming to below 1.5 degrees Celsius to prevent severe climate consequences. They highlight the disproportionate contributions to emissions by wealthy nations and corporations, criticizing the inadequacy of current climate pledges. The speaker stresses the necessity for immediate and significant emission reductions, arguing that mere promises are misleading. They express frustration over the lack of urgency from leaders and emphasize the importance of public awareness and pressure to drive real change. Ultimately, the speaker finds hope in the growing awareness and readiness for change among the populace, advocating for grassroots movements to lead the way.

Takeaways

  • 🌍 Staying below 1.5°C is crucial to avoid catastrophic climate impacts.
  • 📊 100 companies are responsible for 71% of global emissions.
  • 💰 G20 countries account for almost 80% of total emissions.
  • 🚫 Current climate pledges often exclude key sectors like aviation and shipping.
  • ⚠️ There is a lack of urgency among leaders regarding climate action.
  • 💡 Real change comes from public awareness and grassroots movements.
  • ✊ People are ready for change and can drive action.
  • 📅 The next decade is critical for defining our future.
  • 🔍 Clever accounting and PR do not equate to real action.
  • 🌱 Hope lies in the awakening of the populace.

Timeline

  • 00:00:00 - 00:08:20

    该段落强调保持全球温度升幅低于1.5摄氏度的重要性，警告气候危机已导致人们生命受到威胁，并指出即使是微小的温度变化也会引发不可逆转的后果。发言者呼吁关注气候变化数据，表达出对缺乏实质行动的愤怒，同时批评了富国在应对气候变化方面做出的承诺。虽然这些承诺看似积极，但缺乏切实的减排措施和真实的领导力，使得全球温度上升的风险加剧。发言者警告，要打破循环，需要采取严肃的行动和理念转变，切实减少温室气体排放，并指出真正的变化来自人民，而非政府和企业。

Mind Map

Video Q&A

  • Why is it important to stay below 1.5 degrees Celsius?

    Staying below 1.5 degrees is crucial to avoid catastrophic climate impacts and irreversible chain reactions.

  • What are the main contributors to global emissions?

    100 companies are responsible for 71% of global emissions, and the G20 countries account for almost 80%.

  • What is the issue with current climate pledges?

    Many pledges do not include key sectors like aviation and shipping, and they often allow for emissions to be offset rather than reduced.

  • What is the speaker's view on the urgency of climate action?

    The speaker believes there is a lack of urgency among leaders, which prevents real action from being taken.

  • Where does the speaker find hope for climate action?

    The speaker finds hope in the awakening of the public and grassroots movements pushing for change.

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Subtitles
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  • 00:00:00
    why is it so important to stay below 1.5
  • 00:00:02
    degrees because even a one degree people
  • 00:00:07
    are dying from the climate crisis
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    because that's what the united science
  • 00:00:13
    calls for to avoid destabilizing the
  • 00:00:16
    climates so that we have the best
  • 00:00:18
    possible chance to avoid setting of
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    irreversible chain reactions such as
  • 00:00:23
    melting glaciers polarize and throwing
  • 00:00:26
    bockting permafrost every fraction of a
  • 00:00:30
    degree matters so there it is again this
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    is my message this is what I want you to
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    focus on so please tell me how do you
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    react to these numbers without feeling
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    at least some level of panic how do you
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    respond to the facts that basically
  • 00:00:56
    nothing is being done about this without
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    feeling the slightest bits of anger and
  • 00:01:02
    how do you communicate this without
  • 00:01:05
    sounding alarmist
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    I would really like to know since the
  • 00:01:11
    Paris agreement global banks have
  • 00:01:14
    invested one point nine trillion u.s.
  • 00:01:18
    dollars in fossil fuels
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    100 companies are responsible for 71
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    percent of global emissions the g20
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    countries account for almost 80 percent
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    of total emissions the richest 10% of
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    the world's population to produce half
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    of our co2 emissions while the poorest
  • 00:01:45
    50 percent account for just 1/10 we
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    indeed have some work to do but some of
  • 00:01:54
    more than others recently a handful of
  • 00:01:59
    rich countries pledged to reduce their
  • 00:02:02
    emissions of greenhouse gases by so on
  • 00:02:05
    so many percent by this or that date or
  • 00:02:08
    to become climate neutral or Net Zero
  • 00:02:12
    and so on so many years this may sound
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    impressive at first glance but even
  • 00:02:19
    though the intentions may be good this
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    is not leadership this is not leading
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    this is misleading because most of these
  • 00:02:29
    pledges do not include aviation shipping
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    and imported and exported goods in
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    consumption they do however include the
  • 00:02:39
    possibility of countries to offset their
  • 00:02:42
    emissions elsewhere these pledges don't
  • 00:02:47
    include the immediate yearly reduction
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    rates needed for wealthy countries which
  • 00:02:52
    is necessary to stay within the
  • 00:02:55
    remaining tiny budget zero in 2050 means
  • 00:03:00
    nothing if high emission continues even
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    for a few years then the remaining
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    budget will be gone without seeing the
  • 00:03:09
    full picture we will not solve this
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    crisis finding holistic solutions is
  • 00:03:16
    what the cop should be all about but
  • 00:03:20
    instead it seems to have turned into
  • 00:03:23
    some kind of opportunity for countries
  • 00:03:25
    to negotiate loopholes and to avoid
  • 00:03:29
    raising their ambition
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    countries are finding clever ways around
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    having to take real action like double
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    counting emissions reductions and moving
  • 00:03:50
    their emissions overseas and working
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    back on their promises to increase
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    ambition refusing to pay for solutions
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    or loss and damage this has to stop
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    what we need is real drastic emission
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    cuts at the source but of course just
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    reducing emissions is not enough our
  • 00:04:14
    greenhouse gas emissions has to stop to
  • 00:04:19
    stay below 1.5 degrees we need to keep
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    the carbon in the ground only setting up
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    distant dates and saying things which
  • 00:04:29
    give the impression of that action is
  • 00:04:32
    underway will most likely do more harm
  • 00:04:34
    than good
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    because the changes required are still
  • 00:04:38
    nowhere in sight
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    the politics needed that does not exist
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    today despite what you might hear from
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    world leaders and I still believe that
  • 00:04:50
    the biggest danger is not inaction the
  • 00:04:53
    real danger is when politicians and CEOs
  • 00:04:57
    are making it look like real action is
  • 00:04:59
    happening when in fact almost nothing is
  • 00:05:02
    being done
  • 00:05:03
    apart from clever accounting and
  • 00:05:05
    creative PR
  • 00:05:14
    I have been fortunate enough to be able
  • 00:05:20
    to travel around the world and my
  • 00:05:24
    experience is that the lack of awareness
  • 00:05:27
    is the same everywhere not the least
  • 00:05:31
    amongst those elected to lead us there
  • 00:05:35
    is no sense of urgency whatsoever our
  • 00:05:39
    leaders are not behaving as if we were
  • 00:05:42
    in an emergency in an emergency you
  • 00:05:45
    change your behavior if there's a child
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    standing in the middle of the road and
  • 00:05:51
    cars are coming at full speed
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    you don't look away because it's too
  • 00:05:55
    uncomfortable you immediately run out
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    and rescue that child and without that
  • 00:06:02
    sense of urgency how can we the people
  • 00:06:06
    understand that we are facing a real
  • 00:06:09
    crisis and if the people are not fully
  • 00:06:12
    aware of what is going on then they will
  • 00:06:15
    not put pressure on the people in power
  • 00:06:17
    to do to act and without pressure from
  • 00:06:23
    the people our leaders can get away with
  • 00:06:26
    basically not doing anything well which
  • 00:06:29
    is where we are now and around and
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    around it goes in just three weeks we
  • 00:06:38
    will enter a new decade a decade they
  • 00:06:43
    will define our future right now we are
  • 00:06:48
    desperate for any sign of hope well I'm
  • 00:06:52
    telling you there is hope I have seen it
  • 00:06:56
    but it does not come from the
  • 00:06:58
    governments or corporations it comes
  • 00:07:02
    from the people the people who have been
  • 00:07:05
    unaware but are now starting to wake up
  • 00:07:07
    and once we become aware we change
  • 00:07:12
    people can change people are ready for
  • 00:07:16
    change and that is the hope because we
  • 00:07:18
    have democracy and democracy is happen
  • 00:07:23
    all the time not just on Election Day
  • 00:07:26
    but every second and every hour it is
  • 00:07:31
    public opinion that runs the free world
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    in fact every great change throughout
  • 00:07:38
    history has come from the people we do
  • 00:07:44
    not have to wait we can start the change
  • 00:07:48
    right now we the people thank
  • 00:07:54
    [Applause]
  • 00:08:07
    you
Tags
  • climate change
  • 1.5 degrees
  • emissions
  • climate pledges
  • public awareness
  • grassroots movements
  • urgency
  • global warming
  • environmental action
  • hope