A UN climate summit drawing 60 world leaders has opened in New York. Activist Greta Thunberg delivered not just words but an impassioned plea for action.
Image: Reuters/C. Allegri
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Greta Thunberg tells UN climate summit: 'You have stolen my dreams'
"You come to us young people for hope. How dare you?" a visibly angry Thunberg told the high-level audience gathered for the UN Climate Action Summit in New York.
"You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words, yet I'm one of the lucky ones. People are suffering, people are dying, entire ecosystems are collapsing," thundered the 16-year-old Swedish girl, who has galvanized youth across the world to mobilize against climate change.
"We are at the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth," she said, holding back tears. "If you choose to fail us, we will never forgive you."
More than 60 world leaders are expected to attend the summit called by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to talk about the climate crisis and policy solutions.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose government agreed on a climate package last week that was received with mixed reactions, told the gathering that the international community needs to listen to scientists and youth.
"We have all heard the wake-up call of youth," she said, referring to climate protests. "Germany has 1% of the world's population and 2% of the world's emissions."
The German leader said climate change is a global problem and that industrial nations have been the primary source of greenhouse gas emissions, while developing nations are bearing the brunt of the crisis.
The complaint alleges Germany, Argentina, Brazil, France, and Turkey knew about the negative impact on the environment of their carbon emissions and did nothing to prevent it.
"World leaders have failed to keep what they promised. They promised to protect our rights and they have not done that," Thunberg said.
7 things you'd never imagine climate change could impact
The climate is changing and it's causing some odd things to happen — like changing the sex of a baby animal. DW presents seven of the most unexpected ways climate change will impact life on Earth.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Watch out: Jellyfish boom!
Although there is a combination of factors behind the numerous jellyfish that reach vacation havens like the Mediterranean coast, climate change is also partially to blame. Warmer sea temperatures are opening up new areas where jellyfish can reproduce, and increasing the availability of their favorite food: plankton.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Perfect wood is vanishing
Prized for their superior sound quality, an original Stradivarius can sell for millions of dollars. Yet, extreme weather events, such as unusually violent storms, are killing millions of trees, putting at risk the famous wood in the Paneveggio forest, in northern Italy. Replanting trees won't help much in the short term. A spruce has to be at least 150 years old before it can become a violin.
Image: Angelo van Schaik
Forget about sleeping
On very hot nights, people sleep worse, especially in big cities. By 2050 European metropolises may experience temperatures around 3.5 degrees Celsius warmer in summer. It not only affects sleep, but also mood, productivity and mental health. The only way to escape is to move to smaller towns and settlements, where the nights are cooler since there are fewer buildings and more greenery.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/R.K. Singh
Sorry for your nose
Spring is starting earlier in the year due to global warmer temperatures — bad news for allergy sufferers. With a longer frost-free season, plants have more time to grow, bloom and produce pollen. Therefore, pollen will freely roam around much earlier, which will make the suffering season longer and the annual pollen load greater. Will it be the century of masks for air pollution and allergies?
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/K.-J. Hildenbrand
Bacteria and mosquitoes
Heat not only makes us sweat; it also affects our health. By the end of this century three-quarters of the world's population is expected to be exposed to dangerous and deadly heat waves. Rising temperatures mean an increase in diarrheal diseases, as it's easier for bacteria to multiply in warm food and water. Mosquito numbers will also likely go up, along with the spread of diseases like malaria.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/T. Schulze
Houses are crumbling
Soil in the region around the North Pole is increasingly thawing in the summer months, with dramatic local and global consequences. Warmer temperatures cause floors to become unstable and houses and roads to crack, and leads to many more insects. Moreover, if permafrost — frozen soil — melts, it will release CO2 and methane gases that could further exacerbate global warming. It's a vicious circle.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/M. Antonov
Male or female? Ask climate change
Temperature can influence the sex of several species. For sea turtles, the heat of the sand where the eggs are incubated determines the sex of the newborn. Low temperatures benefit male turtles, while females develop better in warmer areas. Researchers have found that over 99% of turtle hatchlings in northern Australia are already female, making it difficult for the species to survive.
