Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg condemned the United Nations climate talks as hypocritical on Tuesday as she arrived at COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, urging leaders to put people and the planet ahead of profits and political power.

According to Al Jazeera, Thunberg accused the annual negotiations of giving host countries an opportunity to improve their image while allowing industries responsible for environmental damage to influence the process.

“It’s a hypocrisy every year that the host countries are given an opportunity to whitewash themselves,” she said, describing the negotiations as filled with lobbyists paid by industries benefiting from the status quo.

Climate change is “threatening everything,” Thunberg said, warning that “everything and everyone we love is at stake.” She urged leaders to protect people rather than sacrifice the global majority and the planet so a fortunate few could maintain profits and geopolitical power.

Her criticism comes as COP31 co-hosts Türkiye and Australia promote renewable energy and rooftop solar installations. Both countries nevertheless remain heavily dependent on fossil fuels, particularly coal, for electricity generation, Al Jazeera reported.

The Antalya gathering is Thunberg’s first appearance at the UN climate negotiations since the 2021 summit in Glasgow, Scotland. There, she dismissed world leaders’ promises as “blah, blah, blah.” She first gained international attention in 2018, when, aged 15, she began a solitary school strike outside Sweden’s parliament.

Her return drew an enthusiastic response from young climate activists at COP31 who are calling for more climate finance.

Amber Turner, a 26-year-old fellow with the Alliance of Small Island States, told The Associated Press she hoped Thunberg’s presence would remind participants why they began campaigning: “to push for meaningful change, hold decision-makers accountable, and work towards a better future for all of humanity.”

Singapore youth environmentalist Qiyun Woo said Thunberg’s presence added to demands from a generation that would inherit the consequences of the negotiations, according to Al Jazeera.

The next summit, COP32, is scheduled for November 2027 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Sources