Greta Thunberg Says Even a Snail Would Agree on Australia’s Pace
Greta Thunberg compared Australia's climate action to a snail's pace at the COP31 summit in Antalya, Turkey, on Thursday. She broke her boycott of the talks to criticize the hosts' focus on implementation instead of phasing out fossil fuels.
Swedish activist Greta Thunberg said "even a snail would agree" that Australia is moving too slowly on climate change, speaking at the COP31 summit in Antalya, Turkey, on Thursday. She broke her recent boycott of the UN climate conferences to criticize this year's leadership.
Thunberg stood beside Rikki Dank, a Gudanji and Wakaya woman and Indigenous advocate from the Northern Territory. Dank urged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to "stop speaking and start listening" to calls to phase out fossil fuels.
A reporter asked Thunberg whether she agreed with Dank's view of Australia's record. "I think even a snail would agree with that," she said. "It's common sense. It doesn't get more clear than that."
The two appeared on a panel of activists, including a volunteer from Nepal's recent flash floods. They fronted a packed media scrum and pushed back against the "implementation" focus of this year's event.
Hosts favor electrification
Turkey and Australia are co-hosts of the talks. Australia's Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen is leading its side. Both governments are promoting rapid uptake of electrification rather than a commitment to phase out fossil fuels, which both countries export.
The world is on track to overshoot the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees.
Albanese defended Australia's record as a climate leader on Tuesday. He pointed to a doubling of renewable energy generation in six years and strong uptake of rooftop solar. UN Secretary-General António Guterres also challenged the hosts that day to be more ambitious in sending fossil fuels "the way of the dinosaurs".
Albanese was due to appear on Thursday with Pacific leaders to encourage investment in a resilience fund to help the region cope with climate change.
Thunberg's criticism of COP
Thunberg became famous at 15 for her school strike for climate. She spoke at COP conferences in 2018 and 2019 and has since boycotted most summits. She cites the presence of fossil fuel lobbyists and the hosting of talks in oil-exporting states as evidence of hypocrisy.
"The planet is not dying; it is being killed, and we know by who," she said. "And is being killed by the very same people often thought to come to our rescue."
She said the people "least responsible for this crisis are being hit hardest and fastest". Of those in power at the summit, she said: "The actions from those in power here are completely detached from reality."
Dank spoke after Thunberg and addressed Albanese directly. She noted he had said he wanted to speak for people needing urgent action. "We don't need him to speak for us. We can speak for ourselves," she said.
She said Albanese must listen when people around the world say they do not want Australia to export "coal, oil or gas, and the climate harms that they bring with them".
