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Greta Thunberg DPA/PA Images

15-year-old activist tells climate negotiators at UN summit they are 'not mature enough'

Over the weekend, nations struck a deal to breathe life into the landmark 2015 Paris climate treaty.

15-YEAR-OLD Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg has told world negotiators at the United Nations COP24 conference that they are “not mature enough” to “tell it like is” when it comes to climate change. 

Over the weekend, nations struck a deal to breathe life into the landmark 2015 Paris climate treaty after marathon UN talks that failed to match the ambition the world’s most vulnerable countries need to avert dangerous global warming.

Delegates from nearly 200 states finalised a common rulebook designed to deliver the Paris goals of limiting global temperature rises to well below two degrees Celsius.

States already dealing with devastating floods, droughts and extreme weather made worse by climate change said the package agreed in the mining city of Katowice lacked the bold ambition to cut emissions the world needed.

Addressing the conference in Krakow, Poland last week, Thunberg accused negotiators of “stealing” the future from future generations. 

“You only speak of green eternal economic growth because you are too scared of being unpopular. You only talk about moving forward with the same bad ideas that got us into this mess, even when the only sensible thing to do is pull the emergency brake,” Thunberg said. 

You are not mature enough to tell it like is. Even that burden you leave to us children. But I don’t care about being popular. I care about climate justice and the living planet. 

Thunberg has become a leading name in the growing campaign from youth across the planet, pleading on lawmakers and corporations to slash greenhouse gas emissions and avert runaway global warming. 

She shot to fame back home after she began a one-child strike outside the Swedish parliament, which she said she will continue until the government commits to action that will honour the promises it made in Paris.  

She said that despite the irrefutable evidence of the dangers posed by climate change, politicians still refuse to take the issue seriously.

Speaking at the COP24, she said: “The year 2078, I will celebrate my 75th birthday. If I have children maybe they will spend that day with me. Maybe they will ask me about you. Maybe they will ask why you didn’t do anything while there was still time to act. 

You say you love your children above all else, and yet you are stealing their future in front of their very eyes. 
Until you start focusing on what needs to be done rather than what is politically possible, there is no hope. We cannot solve a crisis without treating a crisis. 

Thunberg added that the world needs to “keep the fossil fuels in the ground” and to “focus on equity”. 

“We have come here to let you know that change is coming, whether you like it or not. The real power belongs to the people,” she concluded. 

 Ireland

Last week, Ireland’s performance in taking action against climate change was ranked the worst in Europe in a new report

The Climate Change Performance Index ranked Ireland 48th out of 56 countries, with a score of 40.84, far below the EU average of 60.65. 

The report examined a total of 56 countries and ranked them across a number of criteria to assess, to what extent, their actions were in line with commitments under the Paris Agreement 2015. 

Speaking to RTÉ Radio One’s Morning Ireland this morning, Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment Richard Bruton acknowledged that Ireland “needs to do an awful lot more” in terms of tackling climate change. 

Bruton said that Ireland has committed to reducing its emissions by 30% by 2030. 

However, he added: “We are starting that period, we will be way off track, we will be only 1% down on 2005. Instead of having being halfway through a process to 2030, we will be virtually starting out afresh. 

We have to massively accelerate the actions we are taking to achieve the commitments we have made for 2030. 

“There’s no doubt about it, we have the greatest ground to make up. We have our strengths, one of the things we have been good at is bringing renewables onto our grid, but we need to do that much faster,” he said. 

With reporting by AFP. 

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47 Comments
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    Mute The Thinker
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    Dec 17th 2018, 9:58 AM

    Good on her. She’s right.

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    Mute Milk The Drones
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    Dec 17th 2018, 10:09 AM

    @The Thinker:
    She is however who will they target directly with these taxes in Ireland?
    Industry and commerce or the brow beaten squeezed middle?
    (I see some are already in the process of attempting to debunk that myth)
    Will the tax payer be furnished with a detailed breakdown of how this extra money will be appropriated towards saving the environment and a politicians “promise” that will in fact happen?
    Keep in mind now that we are dealing with a FG government that couldn’t even roll out a simple pay by weight bin system. It should be interesting.

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    Mute Diarmuid Hunt
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    Dec 17th 2018, 10:15 AM

    @Milk The Drones: The problem is no matter whether you tax citizens directly or tax the industry the end cost will land with consumers either way, it’s a problem that needs radical change in the way the economy works rather than just tinkering around the edges with taxes.

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    Mute Dave O'Keeffe
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    Dec 17th 2018, 10:20 AM

    @Diarmuid Hunt: pay now or pay later, we will pay. The price goes up exponentially as time goes by

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    Mute Milk The Drones
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    Dec 17th 2018, 10:21 AM

    @Diarmuid Hunt:
    I agree. But that won’t happen.
    “Slap a tax on it” is all our lads know.

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    Mute The Thinker
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    Dec 17th 2018, 10:54 AM

    @Milk The Drones: And complaining about taxes is all you know

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    Mute Alan foggorty
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    Dec 17th 2018, 11:34 AM

    @The Thinker: Even a broken clock is right twice a day. You would get more from a broken clock than a politician. Change is coming politics is dying is doesn’t work anymore. The rich have had their time.The people will choose their own way in the future. A country should be run by people who have a vested interest in that country. Not a vulture fund in Canada or such place.

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    Mute Sam Harms
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    Dec 17th 2018, 11:42 AM

    @Milk The Drones: everyone needs to contribute to the tax because everyone needs to play their part in helping the environment.

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    Mute Milk The Drones
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    Dec 17th 2018, 12:48 PM

    @The Thinker:
    Only the makey uppy ones that folks like you blindly swallow.
    I do fully welcome incentives that both work and make sense, such as the plastic bottle deposit refund scheme. But that requires a little effort and our heel draggers can’t seem to get their heads around it.

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    Mute Denis McClean
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    Dec 17th 2018, 7:34 PM

    @The Thinker: Our inept political bankers think that taxing austerity weary people instead of fossil fuel conglomerates, will somehow make Ireland cleaner. Where can one buy durable yellow vests?

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    Mute Mike Conway
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    Dec 17th 2018, 11:42 AM

    These enviro-liberals won’t be happy until they have us living in archaic conditions like twentieth century Russian peasants, while they themselves sit high in their ivory towers pontificating to us all. Global warming, or “climate change” as is has been rebranded, is complete and utter nonsense and people need to wake up to this huge swindle.

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    Mute Kilian MaKumba
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    Dec 17th 2018, 1:50 PM

    @Mike Conway: Yeah what if its all a big hoax and we create a better world for nothing fts

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    Mute David Rogers
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    Dec 17th 2018, 1:54 PM

    @Mike Conway: And idiots like yourself wont be happy until everything you want is in your lap and screw everyone else, you got yours.

    You make me sick.

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    Mute SC
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    Dec 17th 2018, 3:35 PM

    @Mike Conway: Russians did alright in the 20th century compared to every other century. (Apart from.the very start and very end). Wrong country or wrong century to pick.

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    Mute Rei
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    Dec 17th 2018, 5:34 PM

    @Mike Conway: how old are you? Will you be alive to see the world go to sh*t or do you not care because you’ll be long gone?

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    Mute Mike Conway
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    Dec 17th 2018, 7:32 PM

    @Rei: I will be alive to see the end of the world, just like that time when the world ended because of the ozone layer. Oh wait…

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    Mute Diarmuid Hunt
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    Dec 17th 2018, 7:38 PM

    @Mike Conway: …we took unprecedented action globally and reduced the offending pollutants.

    12
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    Mute Ryan Dub
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    Dec 18th 2018, 7:10 AM

    @Mike Conway: Here’s an article in National Geographic about the melting polar ice. You should read it, and click on the links. Very interesting website.

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    Mute The Quare Fella
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    Dec 17th 2018, 10:18 AM

    The point of a carbon tax is not to hammer the people it is to drive us off fossil fuel dependence and towards renewables. It won’t solve everything but it’s a firm step in the right direction, as is tackling consumption and population growth. Every individual has a responsibility. Tragically we are locked into short term benefit state of mind and a devil-take-tomorrow attitude. This girl is an inspiration. We can but try and follow her example and press our legislators to do the same.

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    Mute Paul A Whelan
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    Dec 17th 2018, 1:21 PM

    @The Quare Fella: very few alternatives or incentives avaliable in Ireland. ESB block individuals trying to go off grid.No payment for feeding electricity back into the grid. No house insurance to anyone who manages to go off grid. No grants for new builds. Grants for existing buildings are a minefield of regulations. Wind energy for the home user is not supported. The list goes on and on. Carbon tax will push many people into poverty, not into been green.

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    Mute SC
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    Dec 17th 2018, 3:32 PM

    @The Quare Fella: Renewables are more expensive than fossil fuels. The only way is to reduce energy consumption drastically. Private cars should be a thing of the past except for people who really need them.

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    Mute Dónal Ó hÍobhair
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    Dec 17th 2018, 4:20 PM

    @SC: The problem is we don’t currently have an adequate transport system in this country which provides a feasible alternative to the private car. Until that exists, people will continue driving.

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    Mute Rei
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    Dec 17th 2018, 5:32 PM

    @The Quare Fella: biggest issue is greed. Fossil fuels make their sellers a lot of money. They don’t want to give that up.

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    Mute Denis McClean
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    Dec 17th 2018, 8:00 PM

    @The Quare Fella: Nobody trusts FFG to do anything with a carbon tax other than line their own and the fossil fuel company’s pockets. The answer is to tax the fossil fuel suppliers and improve grants for greener energies. That way the markets will drive out the polluters and there’ll be less emphasis on tribunals looking at misspent funds.

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    Mute Simon O Flaherty
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    Dec 17th 2018, 10:44 AM

    We do need to act now and stop the nimbyish nature in Ireland. Renewables tech is the future as Scotland are currently showing the way and we are getting left behind. Come on Ireland get it together!!!

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    Mute In my opinion
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    Dec 17th 2018, 10:51 AM

    Good for her but she’s not exactly a regular 15 year old that just found her way to the UN her family are well known so influence got her there. When she gets older she’ll be the Green Party leader of Sweden

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    Mute In my opinion
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    Dec 17th 2018, 10:53 AM

    @In my opinion: or the leader of Sweden or the head of Greenpeace or such like. But in saying all that she might inspire kids growing up and the next generation of us.

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    Mute Paul A Whelan
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    Dec 17th 2018, 1:23 PM

    @In my opinion: and what is the matter with that. Her philosopy is to save the planet.

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    Mute In my opinion
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    Dec 17th 2018, 4:10 PM

    @Paul A Whelan: her philosophy may be to save the planet but while but while she’s off giving talks in various countries telling law makers about Global Warming she won’t be walking from Sweden or go on horse back.

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    Mute prop joe
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    Dec 17th 2018, 10:50 AM

    Doesn’t this girl understand corporate greed. Come on it’s all about the money.

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    Mute GO GREEN
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    Dec 17th 2018, 11:02 AM

    This girl is telling us how it is. Climate change caused a record $140 billion in damage in 2018 -so the cost of doing nothing will be a lot greater than taking action. A new report out last week confirms that If emissions keep on rising we are heading towards a temp rise of 1.5 above pre industrial levels by 2030 – this will be devastating – means we will have created a climate by 2030 that last existed 3 million years during the Plicone period. https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/a3myvg/humans-may-reverse-a-50-million-year-climate-trend-after-just-two-centuries?utm_campaign=sharebutton The latest climate talks once again have failed to take serious action and are essentially useless.

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    Mute Daniel Kelly
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    Dec 17th 2018, 2:05 PM

    What is the carbon tax money spent on? Napoleon Brandy? Fine wines? EU bureaucrats excessive salaries and benefits?

    Surely if it is an environmental tax it should go back as for an example a subsidy for making farmland into forest’s? Or just pay Brazil an amount each year to try and slow down the rate of deforestation of the Amazon?

    Unfortunately, it’s likely spent on the former and thus doesn’t actually really help all that much!

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    Mute iComment
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    Dec 17th 2018, 10:16 AM

    It is very good that Ireland reduce its 60 million tons of CO2…30% by 2030….30% of this is provided by agriculture so need reduce cow numbers by 30% or 1.5 million…..However there is little chanch India China and the US will reduce their emissions by the same about….In 2018 global level will be 37 billion tons up 2.8% from.2017….

    31
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    Mute John Moylan
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    Dec 17th 2018, 1:17 PM

    @Jayo Breathneach: we have to protect our country and it’s people you mean. No good is served by putting us to penury through taxes or making the economy uncompetitive whilst the big players pay less than lip service.

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    Mute Rei
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    Dec 17th 2018, 5:36 PM

    @iComment: yeah, we need to eat less beef!

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    Mute Dave Dublin
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    Dec 17th 2018, 10:54 AM

    woke 15 year old girls is the way to go lol

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    Mute Emmett O'Reilly
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    Dec 17th 2018, 5:55 PM

    Our economic system is not designed to do anything other than exploit resources to further enrich the rich. We will endure horrific climate change, every wild animal will be driven to extinction, if it can’t be exploited for someone’s gain and all of this is inevitable. All these climate change conferences and treaties are fantasy. Capitalism kills environments and turns them into money, it cannot do otherwise. It’s the nature of the beast.

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    Mute Denis McClean
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    Dec 17th 2018, 8:08 PM

    @Emmett O’Reilly: Well said Emmett. That is the nail smacked squarely on the head.

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    Mute Sebastian Manka
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    Dec 17th 2018, 10:45 AM

    Well said, Miss Cassandra…

    10
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    Mute Dev Boyjonauth
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    Dec 17th 2018, 12:02 PM

    This young lady is truly inspirational,shame on the so called politicians!

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    Mute Micheal McGee
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    Dec 17th 2018, 10:16 AM

    COPon

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    Mute John Rownano
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    Dec 17th 2018, 12:11 PM

    Is it interesting that Cassandra was cursed to make prophecies that were true but no one believed (troy) well done to this young lady

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    Mute Rei
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    Dec 17th 2018, 5:38 PM

    Reduce what you buy – food especially. And cut back on meat, specifically beef. Otherwise we can’t really do much ourselves, it’s the big fossil fuel companies doing the most damage to keep their pockets lined. It’s all about greed.

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    Mute Alan foggorty
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    Dec 17th 2018, 11:35 AM

    Live and let live.

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    Mute Rei
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    Dec 17th 2018, 5:37 PM

    @Alan foggorty: not for long if we don’t make serious changes

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    Mute James Casserly
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    Dec 18th 2018, 4:22 PM

    Jumped up little prat.

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    Mute Brian Buckley
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    Dec 18th 2018, 7:27 AM

    Take that world! The irony of a child telling adults they are not mature enough!!!laser guided shock bombs

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