Greta Thunberg: activist asks banks to stop financing the “destruction” of the climate

Greta Thunberg called on banks to “stop financing our destruction”, ahead of the UN COP26 climate summit.

The teenage Swedish climate activist is in London to take part in protests calling for the financial system to stop funding fossil fuel projects.

Andrew Marr told the BBC that “change is possible” at the top if the pressure is maintained on politicians.

But she added that she was not “officially” invited to speak at the event in Glasgow.

Demonstrations against investment in fossil fuel projects come as world leaders gather in the Scottish town ahead of the opening of COP26 on Sunday.

The protest in London is part of a series taking place on Friday in financial centers around the world, including New York, San Francisco and Nairobi.

The COP26 conference will see more than 200 countries invited to define their plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

The summit is seen as crucial if countries are to implement their 2015 commitment to keep global warming “well below” 2 ° C above pre-industrial levels.

As a host country, the UK is under pressure to convince them to make ambitious commitments to reduce the greenhouse gases they emit.

In an interview that airs Sunday, Thunberg said that the poorest countries most affected by climate change should have a greater presence at the event.

He added that “it is not fair” that some nations send “many, many” delegates, while the nations of the so-called South of the world would be “under-represented”.

And he added that the talks would not be successful if the world “continued to ignore” the “historic responsibility” of industrialized countries to reduce their carbon emissions.

The United States is seen as a key player in the summit’s success, with President Joe Biden arriving in Europe on Friday before the event.

Its $ 1.75 trillion (£ 1.2 trillion) Build Back Better social welfare package includes over $ 500 billion in green policy spending.

Mr. Biden described the measures as historic, but Ms Thurnberg called on the United States to go further.

Asked if the United States can be seen as a world leader on climate change, he replied: “Sure, everyone has a chance, but if they continue as they do now, no.”

“We all understand, activists, that this does not fall on one person.

“But of course, when you are a leader of the most powerful country in the world, you have a lot of responsibilities.

“When the US is actually expanding fossil fuel infrastructure, this is a clear sign that it is not really treating the climate crisis as an emergency.”