More than one million sign viral open letter from Greta Thunberg asking leaders to ‘face climate emergency’

More than one million people have signed Greta Thunberg’s open letter demanding leaders to “face up to climate emergency”.

Young climate activists Vanessa Nakate, Dominika Lasota, and Mitzi Tan assisted Ms Thunberg in writing an open letter which swept the global on the morning the Cop26 Leaders’ meeting.

Their letter outlined the five demands for the Government to stick to in a bid to tackle climate change.

These included: To keep the goal of 1.5C, to end all fossil fuel investments, to end ‘creative’ carbon accounting, deliver the $100bn promised to the most vulnerable countries and to enact climate policies that protect workers and the most vulnerable.

Ms Thunberg said: “Right now world leaders are meeting for historic climate talks -- but pledges without real action won’t cut it anymore. We are catastrophically far from the crucial goal of 1.5°C and yet governments everywhere are still accelerating the crisis, spending billions on fossil fuels.

“We urge you to face up to the climate emergency and keep the precious goal of 1.5°C alive with immediate, drastic, annual emission reductions unlike anything the world has ever seen. There is still time to avoid the worst consequences if we are prepared to change.”

The letter says young people feel betrayed by governments’ failure to cut carbon emissions. It directly appeals to world leaders, saying: “This is not a drill. It’s code red for the Earth. Millions will suffer as our planet is devastated -- a terrifying future that will be created, or avoided, by the decisions you make. You have the power to decide.”

The letter was launched with the global citizens movement Avaaz.

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