Climate activist Greta Thunberg has co-authored an open letter to global leaders to demand they take immediate action to solve the climate crisis.
The letter has already been signed by over 74,000 activists and celebrities, as well as more than 300 scientists who have all shown their support for Thunberg’s message.
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On July 16, after teasing a cryptic message on her social media, the Swedish teen tweeted a link to her open letter.
“This is our open letter and demands to global leaders, signed by thousands of activists, scientists, representatives of civil society leaders,” she wrote . “We’ll keep collecting signatures and urge everyone to sign & share.”
In addition to the link, Thunberg also posted a photo of herself with the hashtag #FaceTheClimateEmergecy.
The letter was written by Thunberg alongside fellow climate activists and School Strike 4 Climate organisers Luisa Neubauer, Anuna de Wever van der Heyden, and Adélaïde Charlier.
“You must stop pretending that we can solve the climate and ecological crisis without treating it as a crisis,” the letter begins, before going on list such demands as the halt of “all investments in fossil fuel exploration and extraction”, as well as a call to “treat the climate and ecological emergency like an emergency.”
The letter also makes mention of COVID-19, and cites the pandemic as having inspired world leaders to step up “for the greater good of society.”
“It is now clearer than ever that the climate crisis has never once been treated as a crisis, neither from the politicians, media, business, nor finance,” the letter continues.
“And the longer we keep pretending that we are on a reliable path to lower emissions and that the actions required to avoid a climate disaster are available within today’s system — or for that matter that we can solve a crisis without treating it like one — the more precious time we will lose.”
Among those individuals who have signed the letter include Nobel peace prize winner Malala Yousafzai.
She and Thunberg introduced to each other earlier this year at at the University of Oxford where Malala studied. Their meeting was documented with a photo, which was then uploaded to Malala’s Twitter account.
“She’s the only friend I’d skip school for,” the activist captioned the shot.
Also on the letter’s list of supporters is actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who has previously praised Thunberg on social media.
“It is because of Greta, and young activists everywhere that I am optimistic about what the future holds,” he wrote in the caption of an Instagram post featuring a photo of himself and the teen. “It was an honor to spend time with Greta.”
“She and I have made a commitment to support one another, in hopes of securing a brighter future for our planet.”
Other recognizable names who have signed the letter include Mark Ruffalo, Priyanka Chopra, and Joaquin Phoenix.
“[Even] though you might have the option of ignoring the climate crisis, that is not an option for us — for your children,” the letter concludes. “Right now, there is no place on earth where children face a future in a safe environment. This is and will be very much a reality for the rest of our lives. We ask you to face the climate emergency.”
Click here to read Thunberg’s letter in its entirety for yourself, and click here to add your name to the list of supporters as well, if you so desire.
