TO ASK HER ABOUT THE WAY FORWARD
AND HOW SHE PERSONALLY COPES
WITH IT ALL.
>> GRETA THUNBERG, THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR JOINING ME ON THE SHOW
TODAY.
YOU TOLD PEOPLE TO VOTE FOR JOE
BIDEN LAST YEAR IN A TWEET,
SOMETHING YOU DON’T NORMALLY DO,
YOU SAID, GET INVOLVED IN PARTY
POLITICS, BUT YOU MADE AN
EXCEPTION.
IN YOUR VIEW, HOW HAS JOE BIDEN
DONE ON CLIMATE ISSUES IN HIS
FIRST 50 DAYS IN OFFICE?
WHAT GRADE WOULD YOU GIVE HIM?
>> WELL, YOU SHOULDN’T TAKE THAT
FROM ME.
I’M JUST A TEENAGER, SO I’M
NOT -- I DON’T HAVE THE MANDATE
TO SORT OF GIVE GRADES LIKE
THAT.
MY OPINIONS ON THIS DOESN’T
MATTER.
YOU SHOULD RATHER LOOK AT THE
SCIENCE AND WHETHER HIS POLICIES
ARE IN LINE WITH PERSEVERANCE
AND TO 1.5 OR 2 DEGREES CELSIUS
AND YOU CAN SEE, NO, IT’S NOT
NEARLY ENOUGH IN LINE WITH THE
SCIENCE.
THAT’S NOT ME SAYING, IT’S JUST
BLACK AND WHITE.
LOOKING AT THE FACTS.
>> YEAH.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE HIM
DO TO FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE THAT
HE ISN’T DOING THAT HE SAID HE
WON’T DO BECAUSE HIS
ADMINISTRATION IS SAYING WE HAVE
SET UP A CLIMATE OFFICE.
WE VET UP A CLIMATE CZAR.
WE HAVE RE-SIGNED PARIS.
WE’RE CONSERVING MORE LAND.
WE’RE UNDOING A LOT OF WHAT
DONALD TRUMP DID.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE HIM
DO THAT’S HE’S NOT DOING?
>> I UNDERSTAND THAT IT’S
DIFFICULT, AND TO BE HONEST, I
WOULDN’T WANT TO BE IN A
POLITICIAN’S POSITION RIGHT NOW.
I CAN’T IMAGINE HOW HARD IT MUST
BE, BUT I MEAN, I WOULD JUST
LIKE HIM TO BASICALLY JUST TREAT
THE CLIMATE CRISIS LIKE A
CRISIS.
THEY HAVE SAID THEMSELVES THAT
THIS IS AN EXISTENTIAL THREAT.
AND THEY BETTER TREAT IT
ACCORDINGLY.
WHICH THEY ARE NOT.
I MEAN, THEY ARE JUST TREATING
CLIMATE, THE CLIMATE CRISIS LIKE
AS IT WAS A POLITICAL TOPIC
AMONG OTHER TOPICS.
AND YEAH, TREAT IT AS A CRISIS.
THAT’S THE NUMBER ONE STEP WE
NEED TO DO, AND TO SPREAD
AWARENESS.
>> IS THERE A SPECIFIC POLICY,
IF HE RANG YOU UP AND SAID,
GRETA, WHAT SHOULD I DO?
I CAN WAVE A PRESIDENTIAL MAGIC
WAND, WHAT SHOULD I DO THAT I’M
NOT, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO HIM?
>> NOTHING, BECAUSE THAT’S NOT
DEMOCRATIC.
I MEAN, AN ELECTED LEADER CANNOT
DO ANYTHING WITHOUT SUPPORT FROM
VOTERS.
AND I WOULD NOT WANT ANYONE TO
DO ANYTHING THAT WOULD NOT HAVE
THE SUPPORT, BECAUSE THAT WOULD
BE UNDEMOCRATIC, AND DEMOCRACY
IS THE MOST PRECIOUS THING THAT
WE HAVE, AND WE MUST NOT RISK
THAT.
SO WHAT WE NEED NOW IS TO RAISE
AWARENESS AND CREATE PUBLIC
OPINION TO TREAT THE CRISIS LIKE
A CRISIS, BECAUSE IF PEOPLE ARE
NOT AWARE OF THE CRISIS THAT WE
FACE, OF COURSE, THEY WON’T PUT
PRESSURE ON THE ELECTED LEADERS.
SO I WOULD JUST TELL HIM TO TELL
THE SITUATION AS IT IS.
BECAUSE I MEAN, YES, YOU COULD
SAY I MEET WITH A LOT OF WORLD
LEADERS, AND THEY SAY I CAN’T DO
ANYTHING BECAUSE I DON’T HAVE
THE SUPPORT FROM VOTERS.
WELL, HOW CAN YOU EXPECT SUPPORT
AND PRESSURE FROM VOTERS IF YOU
ARE NOT TREATING THE CRISIS LIKE
A CRISIS?
SINCE THE CLIMATE CRISIS DOESN’T
EXIST, HOW CAN WE EXPECT PEOPLE
TO WANT CLIMATE ACTION?
>> THAT IS A FAIR POINT.
JOE BIDEN’S PREDECESSOR, DONALD
TRUMP, WASN’T A FAN OF YOURS,
AND YOU LIKE MILLIONS OF OTHERS,
WEREN’T A FAN OF HIS.
AFTER YOU WON "TIME’S" PERSON OF
YEAR IN 2019, A JEALOUS TRUMP
ATTACKED YOU AND SAID YOU HAVE
TO WORK ON YOUR ANGER MANAGEMENT
PROBLEM.
MILLIONS MOCKED YOU DESPITE YOUR
AGE.
THAT’S THE KIND OF THING MOST
ADULTS WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO
WITHSTAND.
YOU WERE STILL JUST A TEENAGE.
HOW ARE YOU HANDLED ALL THAT?
>> TO BE HONEST, I FIND IT
HILARIOUS.
YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO LAUGH AT
THESE THINGS BECAUSE IT IS
HILARIOUS.
TO SEE PEOPLE LIKE THEM, SUCH
POWERFUL PEOPLE GO AFTER YOU, IT
REALLY SHOWS YOU ARE HAVING AN
IMPACT AND THEY WOULDN’T DO IT
IF YOU DIDN’T --
>> YES.
>> IF YOU WEREN’T A THREAT TO
THEM.
SO THAT YOU SHOULD TAKE IT AS A
COMPLIMENT.
>> TALKING OF IMPACT, YOU ARE
CERTAINLY SOMEONE WHO HAS
MASSIVE IMPACT GLOBALLY.
YOU INSPIRED MILLIONS OF
CHILDREN TO SHUT DOWN SCHOOLS
AND PROTEST AGAINST CLIMATE
CHANGE.
IN INDIA RECENTLY, PEOPLE IN
INDIA SUPPORTIVE OF THE
RIGHT-WING GOVERNMENT BURNING
EFFIGYIES OF YOU AND SUGGESTING
YOU WERE BEHIND SOME ANTI-INDIA
CONSPIRACY AFTER YOU TWEETED IN
SUPPORT OF THE MASSIVE FARMERS
PROTEST.
I KNOW YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL IN
WHAT YOU SAY BECAUSE THE INDIAN
GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN TARGETING
ACTIVISTS AND FRIENDS OF YOURS
THERE, BUT WHAT IT WAS LIKE
SEEING THAT UNHINGED RESPONSE TO
YOUR ACTIVISM AND YOUR VOICE IN
THE SECOND BIGGEST COUNTRY ON
THE PLANET?
>> FOR ME, IT WASN’T -- I MEAN,
I WASN’T RISKING SOMETHING
BECAUSE I’M FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO
LIVE IN A PART OF THE WORLD
WHERE I CAN USE MY VOICE AND
WHERE I HAVE COMPLETE FREEDOM OF
SPEECH AND WHERE I HAVE THE
RIGHT TO PEACEFUL PROTEST.
AND IT JUST MADE ME JUST REALIZE
HOW FORTUNATE I AM AND HOW
PRIVILEGED I AM TO BE ABLE TO
USE THOSE RIGHTS.
IT REALLY PUTS THINGS IN ANOTHER
PERSPECTIVE BECAUSE WE TAKE
THESE THINGS FOR GRANTED.
AND IN SO MANY PARTS OF THE
WORLD, PEOPLE RISK THEIR FREEDOM
OR EVEN THEIR LIVES JUST FOR
USING THESE RIGHTS, THESE BASIC
FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHTS.
AND THAT’S WHAT IT ALL COMES
DOWN TO, JUST DEMOCRACY AND SO
FOR ME, IT REALLY DIDN’T MATTER.
FOR THOSE WHO ACTUALLY ARE