Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg delivered a strongly worded speech in New York scolding world leaders over their inaction on climate change.
Among the heads of state present was President Uhuru Kenyatta who also spoke at the Climate Change Summit held on the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly in the US.
Greta's emotional speech became a subject of discussion where she slammed the leaders accusing them of stealing her dreams.
"I shouldn't be up here. I should be back at school on the other side of the ocean. Yet you all come to us young people for hope. How dare you! You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words," Greta, 16, lashed at the leaders present.
The young activist accused the UN leaders of willingly trading the future of the world for money and deals that threatened whole ecosystems and delicate habitats.
"You say you hear us and that you understand the urgency, but no matter how sad and angry I am I do not want to believe that because if you really understood the situation and still kept on failing to act, then you would be evil, and that I refuse to believe
“You are failing us but young people are starting to understand your betrayal. The eyes of all future generations are upon you and if you choose to fail us, I say we will never forgive you," she declared.
In his address, President Kenyatta challenged fellow world leaders to pursue climate change adaptation and mitigation measures that secure people's livelihoods and expand economic opportunities.
The President stated that the sustainable climate action is largely about people and their livelihoods adding that no one should be left behind in efforts to combat climate change.
"Our commitment to tackling climate change is deep and arises out of the need to secure our future and that of our children as we have been victims of droughts and declining rainfall which have destroyed our lives and livelihoods and which call on an increasing requirement of public resources to address emergencies and disasters," Uhuru stressed.
He disclosed that Kenya had taken deliberate steps towards meeting its international climate obligations in sectors such as energy, environment and the blue economy.
"In energy, we have transitioned our energy sources to renewables to the tune of 90%. I recently inaugurated our largest wind power farm on the continent at Lake Turkana and we shall continue to prioritise our energy developments from geothermal and other natural sources," President Kenyatta stated.
Thunberg sprung to global prominence when she was 15, after she held her first climate strike outside the Swedish parliament, according to the BBC. On Friday, Thunberg led 150 countries in a youth-led Global Climate Strike, which saw millions taking to the streets around the world to demand action and an end to the era of fossil fuels.
Here is the video courtesy of Vice News:
