Putin on Greta Thunberg: 'The adults using her deserve to be condemned'

RT
Thu, 03 Oct 2019 07:49 UTC

© Kremlin.ru

Vladimir Putin at the plenary of the Russian Energy Week International, October 2, 2019

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has earned accolades from world leaders for her emotional speeches. While cheering her as a person, Vladimir Putin still stayed cautious, saying he doesn't "share the common excitement."

Thunberg's passionate speech before world leaders at the UN Climate Action Summit in New York last week cemented her as probably the world's most famous climate change activist and media darling.

"How dare you!," the 16-year-old campaigner scolded world leaders. "We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money, and fairy tales of eternal economic growth."

Thunberg's lecture earned her praise from politicians and the media, but Russian President Vladimir Putin is not among them.

"I may disappoint you but I don't share the common excitement about the speech by Greta Thunberg," he told an energy forum in Moscow on Wednesday.

"No one has explained to Greta that the modern world is complex and different and ... people in Africa or in many Asian countries want to live at the same wealth level as in Sweden," he continued. "Of course, emotions are inevitable, but still if we want to be effective, we must stay professional."

Thunberg's eco-activism has been criticized before for focusing on the Western world, while ignoring the damage being done to the environment by less wealthy countries going through their own industrial revolutions.

While young environmentalists should be supported, "when someone is using children and teenagers in personal interests, it only deserves to be condemned," the leader argued.

"I'm sure that Greta is a kind and very sincere girl," Putin added.

"But adults must do everything not to bring teenagers and children into some extreme situations."

While Thunberg's solitary school walkout last year has since evolved into thousands-strong 'Fridays for Future' protests worldwide, her activism has drawn criticism for its apparent alarmism, as well as mockery from US President Donald Trump. Thunberg herself has said that this backlash proves her message is "too loud to handle."

Yet, critics also pointed out that the teenager has failed to present any clear steps on how to change the situation.

Comment: For a transcript of the answer Vladimir Putin gave:

"I will, perhaps, disappoint you, but I don't share the common enthusiasm in regard to the address by Greta Thunberg. You know, that young people and teenagers draw everybody's attention to the acute issues of nowadays including the problems of ecology, that is right, it is very good. They certainly need to be supported. But when someone uses children or teenagers in their own interests, then it only merits condemnation. - It is especially bad if someone tries to capitalize on that. I'm not stating this is the case, but we have to be be aware and even follow it closely.

After all, has nobody explained to Greta, that the contemporary world is complex and multi-faceted, is developing fast, and that people in Africa or in many Asian countries want to live on the same level of wealth as in Sweden? - But how to achieve that? Force them today to use the solar energy, of which there in Africa is enough? Has anyone explained to her how much this costs? Just now a colleague spoke about oil, and it is known by everyone probably, that oil is the number one energy source in the global energy balance, and that it will maintain this position for the forthcoming 25 years. This is data from global experts. True, the share will be gradually declining True, many times faster will be the rise of renewable forms of energy. That is all true, and we should strive toward it. But today, is this technology available for developing countries and developing nations? It is unavailable, but people there want to live on the same level as in Sweden. They can't be stopped. Just try to explain it to them that they should spend another 20 - 30 years in poverty, and their children will be in poverty! Explain it to them!

Everything should to the greatest extend be professional. Of course, emotions are inevitable. But if we want to be effective, then we must be professional. And I am certain that Greta is a good girl, and very sincere, but adults ought to their utmost not lead children and teenagers into some extreme situations. They ought to protect them from excessive emotions that may ruin the personality. That is what I'm trying to say. As a whole of course, we can't but support the ideas that are related to the development of renewable sources of energy, it is only necessary to proceed from the realities and push this process. And I just now mentioned in my speech how we are doing this in Russia. We not only signed and carry out the process of implementing of the Paris agreement. We have also within the country taken a a whole row of steps in order to reduce emissions, in order to bolster alternative energy sources. We do this, among other things with taxation measures that give preferences to the development of alternative energy sources. We develop gas, as the cleanest of all the hydrocarbons. But I repeat once again - to use children and adolescents for the achievement of even such noble goals, and in a rather hard and emotional way, I think it's wrong."

See also Greta Thunberg: False Prophet of the Children's Crusade

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