Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg sparred briefly with Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.) during congressional testimony Wednesday by disputing the GOP lawmaker’s argument that higher-polluting countries should be doing more than others to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Graves, who is the top Republican on the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, which co-hosted the hearing, asked Thunberg about equitable burden-sharing when it comes to combating climate change.
{mosads}”If you were sailing across the ocean and you’re picking up trash along the way, and for every piece of trash you pick up there is a boat right next to you dumping out five pieces. How would that make you feel?” Graves asked the teen activist, who traveled to the United States by boat to reduce her carbon footprint.
“Well, first of all, by that logic then I am also dumping a lot of trash in the ocean,” Thunberg responded. “And then I would stop dumping my trash in the ocean and ask the other boat to stop dumping their trash in the ocean as well.”
Graves then argued that certain countries should be doing more.
“I think that what we need to be doing is we need to be focusing on the countries that are dumping trash in the ocean — of course that’s a metaphor,” he said. “Here we are talking about reducing emissions, yet, China under the Paris accords are going to be increasing their emissions by nearly 50 percent — 5 gigatons annually.”
Thunberg has spent the past several days in Washington, where she has met with lawmakers to discuss climate change. She is scheduled to participate in the United Nations Action Summit on Monday.