Greta Thunberg is back! Teenage activist says coronavirus and climate change must be tackled together
Climate change activist Greta Thunberg spoke out about the novel coronavirus pandemic and said humanity should use these times to tackle environmental issues as well.
Thunberg, 17, had become a household name in 2019 following her impassioned speech at the UN Climate Action Summit and made the comments while speaking at an Earth Day event on Wednesday, April 22.
"Today is Earth Day and that reminds us that climate and the environmental emergency is still ongoing and we need to tackle both the corona pandemic at the same time as we tackle climate and environmental emergency because we need to tackle two crises at once," she shared.
The teen spoke during a live-streamed event to mark what was the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, an annual event celebrated around the world to demonstrate the support for environmental protection.
She said the outbreak had demonstrated how it was paramount that we listen to the experts, and not just for deadly diseases either.
"During crises like this, it is even more important that we listen to scientists, science, and the experts. That goes for all crises, whether its the corona crisis or whether it is the climate crisis which is still ongoing and is not slowing down, even in times like these," she insisted.
Thunberg also said that the pandemic had shown the world the need for long-term thinking and called for action to alleviate climate change.
"Whether we like it not the world has changed, it looks completely different from how it did a few months ago and it will probably not look the same again and we are going to have to choose a new way forward," she said.
"If one single virus can destroy economies in a matter of weeks, it shows we are not thinking long term and we are not taking these risks into account."
To mark the day, her 'Fridays for Future' group, which had initially started as a way to organize students into a protest against climate change inaction, released a video as well.
It paid homage to Thunberg's iconic speech at the World Economic Forum last year where she said, "I want you to act as if our house is on fire. Because it is," and featured a family carrying out their day-to-day routine even as their house was engulfed in flames.
Thunberg is believed to have caught COVID-19 last month and confirmed herself that it was "extremely likely" she had been infected.
In an Instagram post, she said she had isolated herself away from her mother and sister after she returned from her trip around Central Europe and had started feeling some of its symptoms.
"Around ten days ago I started feeling some symptoms, exactly the same time as my father - who traveled with me from Brussels. I was feeling tired, had shivers, a sore throat and coughed," she wrote. "My dad experienced the same symptoms, but much more intense and with a fever."
She said she did not get tested because Sweden only administered it to those in need of emergent medical treatment but that she had "basically recovered" since then.