Trump slams 'prophets of doom' as Greta brings back iconic stare at Davos: 'This is not a time for pessimism'
Climate change activist Greta Thunberg and President Donald Trump faced off at the 2020 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday, where the teen took a swipe at the president's 1 trillion trees pledge, saying mere planting of trees was not enough.
Trump's speech at the economic forum, however, focused heavily on the US economy, particularly the economic boost that came with his term in the country. The president was criticized by many for not mentioning climate issues in his speech at the forum.
"America’s newfound prosperity is undeniable, unprecedented and unmatched anywhere in the world," Trump said. “America achieved this stunning turnaround not by making minor changes to a handful of policies, but by adopting a whole new approach centered entirely on the well-being of the American worker."
Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz slammed Trump for failing to tackle climate issues in his speech. “He managed to say absolutely zero on climate change," Stiglitz said. “Meanwhile we’re going to roast.”
Trump also appeared to take a veiled dig at Thunberg and other young climate activists present at the event as he said, "We must reject the perennial prophets of doom. This is not a time for pessimism. This is a time for optimism."
The president mentioned the climate once after his speech while talking about the US' participation in the pledge to join the one trillion trees initiative. He said that he is a "big believer in the environment" and talked about getting the "cleanest air, cleanest water" for the country.
Meanwhile, the Swedish climate crusader doubled down on her criticism at the forum, stating that the world and business leaders were not taking the threat of global warming seriously. Thunberg also dismissed some of the measures discussed by governments and companies, like setting long-term targets for cutting gas emissions and Trump's one trillion tree-planting initiative.
"Planting trees is good of course but it’s nowhere near enough," Thunberg said at the forum in Davos. "It cannot replace mitigation," she said referring to the efforts to drastically cut emissions in the near term.
The teenager also accused the world leaders of "cheating and fiddling around with numbers" by talking about cutting emissions to "net zero." Thunberg, while responding to those who have accused her and other activists of doom-mongering, she said that her message was based on scientific facts.
"My generation will not give up without a fight," Thunberg said.