you
in 1992 I was 12 years old and I had the
opportunity to speak to the United
Nations plenary session of the Earth
Summit in Rio de Janeiro I remember that
moment very clearly I think it's you
know burned into my memory I remember
just such a clear sense of purpose I
knew exactly why I was there I knew
exactly what I had to say and I knew
that I could talk directly to them I
knew what I was there to do coming up
here today I have no hidden agenda I am
fighting for my future if you look at
the video you can tell how focused
everyone was people really moved even
you know the security guards were really
paying attention so it was it was it was
amazing
losing my future is not like losing an
election or a few points on the stock
market I am here to speak for all
generations to come in my life I have
dreamt of seeing the great herds of wild
animals jungles and rainforests full of
birds and butterflies but now I wonder
if they will even exist for my children
to see did you have to worry of these
things when you were my age in this last
spike of media attention that I've
received I have constantly been compared
and asked to reflect on Greta tunberg
which is a huge honor for me you know I
think she's just this incredible young
warrior you know she's just taking it on
on this whole other level because she's
a child of the 21st century and so the
way she's using her Instagram the way
she
has really catalyzed a movement I think
is totally incredible and it's really
specific to her moment and who she is at
this time but I also you know really
always I'm taking kind of taken aback
because there have been so many youth
activists before me after me before
Greta you know and who will continue to
come up you know young people are always
the people calling for social revolution
historically adults have been beaten
down and well you know we know that
actually if we wanted to create change
well we'd have to do this that in the
other there's so many reasons that we
know of why things can't change those
take us away from thinking about the
bigger picture and that's what youth had
to offer all they see is possibility and
right now with this huge colossal
existential challenge that humanity has
we have to harness that attitude of
possible rather than impossible I'm only
a child and I don't have all the
solutions but I know I want you to
realize neither do you if you don't know
how to fix it please stop breaking it
back in 1992 climate change was on the
horizon and it was identified as going
to happen but it was on our horizon and
today it is here climate change I think
is the most quintessential example of
intergenerational crime or
intergenerational injustice that we have
if we don't end pumping tons of carbon
into the atmosphere we will have in a
very short order a planet that is not
habitable or not habitable to
comfortable human life so we have to
essentially everyone all hands on deck
focus on how we can in our own sphere of
influence and our own skill set in our
own industry
you have to become experts for how to
get off carbon and luckily we have all
the answers now we just have to do it
and we have to do it now
my favorite line of this Beach which I
believe can sum up the entire speech is
in the last sentences are in the last
sentence which is simply I challenge you
please make your actions reflect your
words thank you I ask you to make your
actions for Flexer words and that really
sums up what I think the young people
today are and and and in past times are
asking of our older generations in power
young people are simply asking adults to
be who they say they are and to make
their actions reflect their words thanks
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