Energy & Environment

Video of Greta Thunberg crossing paths with Trump at UN goes viral

by Justin Wise

Video of Swedish teen climate activist Greta Thunberg crossing paths with President Trump following her forceful speech at the United Nations on Monday quickly went viral across social media. 

The encounter between the two came after Thunberg accused leaders of failing her generation during a blistering speech at the U.N. General Assembly climate summit. 

{mosads}As Trump arrived for this week’s U.N. General Assembly, cameras caught Thunberg, an activist who inspired the worldwide youth movement to combat climate change, staring directly at Trump. It remains unclear what exactly she was reacting to. 

Her reaction quickly gained widespread attention, though, with many suggesting that Thunberg was glaring at the president in way that showcased her anger with the president and his stances on climate change. 

Thunberg said last month that Trump “obviously” doesn’t listen to science when assessing global warming. 

“If a picture is worth 1,000 words then this GIF is worth 100,000,” the news organization NowThis tweeted. 

Others joked that the glare evoked one you’d give your “worst enemy” and that the look said “a lot.” A headline on New York Magazine humorously read: “Greta Thunberg Accidentally Warms Globe With Her Scorching Glare.”

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) retweeted a post that said, “we are all Greta Thunberg.” 

Thunberg has gained a high profile over the past year for her consistent efforts to address the problems that climate change pose for future generations. She began her advocacy last year by handing out leaflets outside Swedish Parliament saying, “I am doing this because you adults are shitting on my future.”

In an emotional speech Monday, she railed against world leaders for forcing children to take the lead in the global fight against global warming. 

“My message is that we will be watching you,” Thunberg said. “This is all wrong. I shouldn’t be up here, I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean, yet you all come to us young people for hope. How dare you.”

“People are suffering, people are dying, entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of the mass extinction and all you can talk about is money and fairytales of eternal economic growth. How dare you,” she added later.
 
Trump has meanwhile repeatedly voiced skepticism about climate change. He made an unexpected appearance at the U.N. climate summit, but only stayed for between 10 and 15 minutes.