Thunberg was released by police earlier this week after being detained along with other climate activists for protesting the expansion of a coal mine in the small village of Luetzerath in western Germany.
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Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg on Thursday accused the political and business elite at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, of putting personal interests and short-term profits ahead of people and the planet.
“Now we are in Davos, where most of the people who are causing the most damage to the planet, the people who are at the heart of the climate crisis, the people who invest in fossil fuels, etc., etc. . people who we seem to rely on to solve our problems,” Thunberg said.
“They have proven time and time again that they are not prioritizing that. They are prioritizing selfish, greedy companies and short-term economic profits above people and above the planet,” he added.
Thunberg said it was “absurd” that the world seemed to be listening to the Davos delegates rather than those on the front lines of the climate emergency.
Thunberg was released by police earlier this week after being detained along with other climate activists for protesting the expansion of a coal mine in the small village of Luetzerath in western Germany.
“Yesterday I was part of a group that peacefully protested the expansion of coal mines in Germany. We were arrested by the police and then detained but released later that evening,” Thunberg said on Wednesday. via Twitter. “Climate protection is not a crime,” he added.
Along with IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol, Thunberg participated in a CNBC moderation panel with youth climate advocates Vanessa Nakate, Helena Gualinga and Luisa Neubauer.
Four climate activists came to Davos recently to write an open letter to the CEO of a fossil fuel company through the non-profit website Avaaz. Thunberg, Nakate, Gualinga and Neubauer called on the executives of the energy giants to “immediately stop” opening new oil, gas or coal extraction sites and said they wanted to continue protesting in the streets in “large numbers.”
“We know that Big Oil has known for decades that fossil fuels are causing dangerous climate change, misleading the public about climate science and the risks. [and] politicians lie with disinformation that spreads doubt and causes delays,” the letter said.
He added that fossil fuel executives “must stop this activity because it directly violates the human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, your duty to take care of it, as well as Indigenous rights.”
Failure to act immediately, activists warned, at a time when citizens around the world “will consider taking legal action to hold you accountable.” Nearly 900,000 people have added their names to the letter as of Thursday morning.
The fossil fuel industry seeks to underline the importance of energy security amid calls for a rapid transition to renewable energy, typically highlighting that demand for fossil fuels remains high.
Of course, the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas, is the main cause of the climate crisis.
IEA says investment is ‘magic word’
Asked why new fossil fuel production projects would go ahead despite opposition from the IEA and climate campaigners, Executive Director Fatih Birol said, “The problem is that we have to keep the temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The fragile balance of our planet will be disturbed – we everyone will be in trouble.”
“We need to get energy from clean, carbon-free forms of energy and to do that, the magic word is investment.”
Birol said the world currently invests about $1.5 trillion in clean energy, but this needs to be increased to $4 trillion to be in line with climate targets.
“If we do that … then we don’t need coal anymore, we don’t need oil and gas anymore. [We don’t need any] new investments there, but the starting point is making clean energy investments and having a clean and secure energy future for all,” said Birol.
The climate emergency was one of the main themes for this year’s annual meeting in the Swiss Alpine city of Davos, which brought together approximately 1,500 business leaders.
Addressing delegates during a special address on Wednesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemning fossil fuel giants for ignoring their own climate science. He accused the oil and gas industry of seeking to expand production despite knowing “very well” that their business model was incompatible with human survival.
“Some in Big Oil are telling big lies,” Guterres said. “And just like the tobacco industry, those responsible must be held accountable.”
Thunberg has previously excoriated the climate of inaction from world political and business leaders at the WEF, saying in January 2019, “Our house is on fire.”