July 17 (EveningStandard) – Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg is demanding action from European Union leaders and heads of state, and she’s enlisted the help of some A-list celebrities to spread the word.
The 17-year-old co-wrote an open letter on July 16, which was sent to EU and global leaders, and is available online for anyone to sign.
The letter calls for world leaders to help “avoid a climate catastrophe” by enacting a series of steps that includes halting all investments in fossil fuel exploration and extraction.
“It is now clearer than ever that the climate crisis has never once been treated as a crisis, neither from the politicians, media, business, nor finance,” the letter stated.
“Climate and environmental justice cannot be achieved as long as we continue to ignore and look away from the social and racial injustices and oppression that have laid the foundations of our modern world,” it went on to say, later noting, “Science doesn’t tell us exactly what to do. But it provides us with information for us to study and evaluate. It’s up to us to connect the dots.”
The letter noted that “a new system” was needed, as the world faces “a crisis that we cannot buy, build or invest our way out of.”
Using the hashtag ‘Face The Climate Emergency,’ Thunberg shared the letter on her Twitter, thanking some of the activists and celebrities who had already shown their support with their signature.
Included in the list was actor and environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio, who called Thunberg “a leader of our time” when they met in 2019. “She and I have made a commitment to support one another, in hopes of securing a brighter future for our planet,” he wrote on Instagram.
Activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai was also thanked by Thunberg for signing the letter, as were Priyanka Chopra, Shawn Mendes, Coldplay, Ben Stiller and Ellie Goulding.
A quick scroll through the letter’s signatures also showed singer Billie Eilish, designer Stella McCartney and human rights activist Bianca Jagger on the list of supporters.
“Needless to say, everyone is equally important,” Thunberg wrote on Twitter following her long list of influential supporters. “But the climate movement desperately needs new strong voices. So everyone is more than welcome!”
