Swedish activist Greta Thunberg on Thursday July 1 launched another virulent charge against leaders and companies in rich countries, accusing them of "
playing a role
" and of exploiting the climate crisis for commercial gain.
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In the face of "
public pressure
", "
you have started to act. Not act for the climate. But act like in a role play. Playing politics, playing with words, playing with our future,
”she said on the occasion of a climate summit in Vienna, organized by the former governor of California (United States) Arnold Schwarzenegger, of Austrian origin. "
Maybe it helps you sleep at night,
" but as
you
"
pose as saviors
" the "
gap between rhetoric and reality keeps widening
" and "
becomes impossible to ignore
" in the face of "
Raging extreme weather events
," lamented the 18-year-old Swede.
"
Empty words
"
And to castigate "
empty words
", carbon neutrality objectives "full
of gaps
" and "
manipulating
" the data: "
the emissions of imported goods, air and maritime transport
" are for example ignored, she said. , also evoking "
fanciful
" means to achieve this.
"
The climate crisis is today - at best - treated only as a business opportunity to create new jobs, activities and green technologies
", further underlined the figurehead of the movement "
Fridays for Future
" and youth strikes for the climate.
Greta Thunberg, whose speech was cut off before the end for technical reasons according to the organizers, spoke by videoconference in front of an audience of decision-makers gathered at the Austrian World Summit, an initiative launched five years ago by Arnold Schwarzenegger. In his opening message, the actor called to “
encourage people
” rather than threaten them “
with alarmist speeches.
The challenges are immense "
but we can end the pollution,
" he insisted, using the word "
terminate
" in reference to his successful role as "
Terminator
".
Among the list of participants were several political leaders including Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who praised his country's climate ambitions, and European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans, in charge of the Green Deal, and senior officials of the groups. American Ford and Apple.