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GLASGOW – Vanessa Nakate, a Ugandan climate activist, said at the United Nations climate summit on Thursday that she and her colleagues do not believe in the promises made by ministers, companies and banks this week to act aggressively on climate change.
But they want.
“Actually, I’m here to beg you to prove us wrong,” said Miss Nakate. “God help us all if you can’t prove us wrong.”
In one of her strongest speeches to date before the UN climate summit, 24-year-old Ms Nakate told diplomats that leaders were already trying to brand the conference, known as COP26, a success, but she and her colleagues were not buying it. he.
“Let’s be honest,” he said. “We’ve been here before.”
After a quarter of a century of climate conferences and new annual commitments, planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise. “This year will be no different,” said Ms. Nakate.
“We are drowning in promises,” he said.
“Commitments,” said Ms. Nakate, “will not reduce CO2. Promises will not stop people’s suffering. Promises will not prevent the planet from warming up. Only urgent and drastic action can push us back from the abyss.”
He urged business leaders and investors, saying they didn’t act immediately, instead “flying private jets to the COP” and having “fancy speeches”. He also questioned the existence of those in the fossil fuel industry.
“You’ll appreciate that we can be skeptical when the largest delegation at the COP26 climate summit doesn’t belong to a country, but instead belongs to the fossil fuel industry,” he said.
And he had a message for those who made promises: “Show us your credibility. Show us your honesty. I’m here to say: Prove us wrong.”
Miss Nakate, a rising star He received constant applause among the world’s climate activists after his speech. Originally published by the Associated Press in January 2020. clipped it from a picture at the World Economic Forum. He stood next to four white activists, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg.
This omission shocked and upset Ms Nakate, who, in a tearful 10-minute video posted on Twitter, denounced “racism” and the erasure of Black and African voices in the global environmental movement. His response resonated around the world and cemented his place as a leading voice among young Africans passionately arguing for action against climate change.
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