♪ >> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY.
WE'RE BACK WITH CLIMATE ACTIVIST GRETA THUNBERG.
LAST THURSDAY, YOU AND OTHER ACTIVISTS PUBLISHED AN OPEN
LETTER TO ELEADERS.
WHY NOW AND WHAT WERE YOU HOPING TO ACCOMPLISH?
>> WELL, IT WAS MAINLY TO E.U.
LEADERS BUT ALSO TO GLOBAL LEADERS BECAUSE THIS WEEKEND
THERE WAS A BIG MEETING HELD IN BRUSSELS WHERE E.U. LEADERS
GATHERED TO DISCUSS BUDGETS AND INVESTMENTS, THE E.U. C.E.O.
MEETING, WHICH IS OVER NOW AFTER A VERY LONG DELAY.pTHEY COULDN'T
BUT, SO, IT WAS KIND OF TO DO THAT BEFORE THIS MEETING AND TO
TELL THEM THAT YOU NEED TO TREAT THIS CRISIS LIKE A CRISIS, YOU
NEED TO STOP PRETENDING THAT WE CAN SOLVE THIS WITHIN TODAY'S
SYSTEMS, AND YOU NEED TO START TREATING THE CLIMATE CRISIS LIKE
THE CRISIS BECAUSE IF WE DON'T TREAT IT AS A CRISIS, WE WON'T
BE ABLE TO SOLVE IT.
AND THEN WE HAD SOME THINGS IN THERE LIKE SAFEGUARD AND PROTECT
DEMOCRACY AND PROTECT WORKERS, LEAVE BEHIND ESTABLISH BINDING
ANNUAL CARBON BASED STUDY AND INCLUDE TOTAL EMISSIONS IN
FIGURES AND DIVERSE FOSSIL FUELS AND MAKE ECOCIDE A NATIONAL
CRIME AND THINGS LIKE THAT AND TO SAY TO THEM THAT WE ARE NO
LONGER GOING TO PLAY YOUR GAME ON YOUR TERMS BECAUSE THIS IS A
CRISIS AND THIS IS A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH FOR SO MANY
PEOPLE.
>> Stephen: WHAT IS THE COVED CRISIS AND THE REDUCTION OF
EMISSIONS DO TO COVID CRISIS?
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU?
DO YOU SEE ANYTHING IN THERE AND THE POSSIBILITY OF CHANGE IS
THIS.
>> NO.
I MEAN, SOME PEOPLE SAY THAT THE CORONAVIRUS H IS POSITIVE FOR
ENVIRONMENTS WHICH IS NOT TRUE AT ALL.
THE CORONA PANDEMIC IS A TRAGEDY AND NOTHING ELSE, AND I DON'T
THINK WE SHOULD SPEAK OF IT AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD BACK
BETTER OR WHATEVER BECAUSE IT'S SUCH A TRAGEDY.
AND THESE EMISSION CUTS HAVE BEEN TEMPORARILY AND
COINCIDENTAL AND, SO, YEAH, OF COURSE, THERE'S NOTHING POSITIVE
TO COME OUT FROM THAT.
BUT ONE THING THAT THE CORONA PANDEMIC WILL LEAD TO IS THAT IT
WILL CHANGE THE WAY THAT WE TREAT AND PERCEIVE AN EMERGENCY
AND A CRISIS BECAUSE THIS ONLY SHOWS THAT THE CLIMATE CRISIS
HAS NEVER ONCE BEEN TREATED AS A CRISIS.
AND, SO -- SO, YEAH.
>> Stephen: WELL, THAT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE NOW WE SEE,
WHEN WE TRULY BELIEVE THAT LIFE IS ON THE LINE, WE WILL GO TO
EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES.
>> YES, AND WORLD LEADERS ARE NOW SAYING THEMSELVES THAT WE
WILL NOT -- I MEAN, NOT ALL WORLD LEADERS, AS YOU MAY
KNOW -- >> Stephen: I DO KNOW.
UNFORTUNATELY, YEAH.
BUT THEY WILL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES BECAUSE YOU CANNOT PUT A
PRICE ON A HUMAN LIFE, AND I THINK AT LEAST I'VE NEVER
EXPERIENCED THAT WHEN THEY SAY THAT THEMSELVES BECAUSE THAT
MEANS THAT WE CAN START -- THAT THEY ACTUALLY MEAN IT, AND IT
FEELS LIKE WHEN THEY SAY THOSE KINDS OF THINGS, THAT OPENS UP A
NEW DIMENSION BECAUSE, IF YOU USE THAT LOGIC, THEN -- IF YOU
LET THAT FLY FOR THE CLIMATE CRISIS, THEN IT -- APPLY TO THE
CLIMATE CRISIS IT CHANGES BASICALLY EVERYTHING.
>> Stephen: SPEAKING OF WORLD LEADERS WHO DON'T TAKE THE
CLIMATE CRISIS SERIOUSLY, AND I'LL JUST PICK ONE AT RANDOM,
DONALD TRUMP -- >> YEAH.
>> Stephen: -- THERE'S A PHOTO THAT BECAME QUITE FAMOUS, IT'S
AT THE U.N. GENERAL ASSEMBLY WHEN YOU WERE THERE AND DONALD
TRUMP WAS THERE.
HE WALKED BY, AND YOU GAVE HIM THIS FAMOUS STARE, AND I AGREE
WITH YOUR STARE.
I'M JUST CURIOUS WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND, BECAUSE WE
ALL PROJECTED A LOT ON TO THAT EXPRESSION THAT YOU HAVE THERE.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND IN THIS
MOMENT?
>> TO BE HONEST, I DON'T THINK YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: WELL, GRETA, THANK
YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> Stephen: GOOD LUCK TO YOU ON BEHALF OF ALL OF US, AND I
HOPE WE CAN ALL JOIN YOU IN YOUR CAUSE WITH PASSION, DEDICATION
AND WITH SINCERITY.
GRETA THUNBERG, EVERYBODY.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.