'How dare you?': Thunberg's rousing call to arms at UN summit
The Swedish teen has become the global face of the growing youth movement against inaction on climate change
After a year spent protesting on the streets, it was Greta Thunberg's moment on the world stage, and she did not disappoint, accusing leaders of betrayal and repeatedly demanding "How dare you?" in a raw, emotional speech.
"How dare you?" the 16-year-old asked, accusing leaders of betraying her generation and failing to tackle greenhouse gas emissions.
The Swedish teen has become the global face of the growing youth movement against inaction on climate change.
"This is all wrong. I shouldn't be up here. I should be back at school on the other side of the ocean," the 16-year-old, who is taking a year off from her studies, said.
"You come to us young people for hope. How dare you?" she thundered. "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.
"We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is the money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you!"
On Sunday, the Fridays for Future movement started by the teen's rallying cry saw millions of people fill city streets across the world to support the campaign aiming to see children take a more active role in persuading adults to treat climate change more seriously.
Thunberg said that during discussion with global leaders, she was told that the youth were being heard and the urgency of the situation was understood.