I Want You To Take Action: Greta Thunberg's Testimony To Congress

Ahead of her scheduled appearance at a House hearing on Wednesday, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has submitted a major global warming report to Congress. She submitted an eight-sentence letter along with the report as her official testimony. The move came ahead of a joint hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, Energy and the Environment and the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis.

In her letter, Thunberg wrote, "I am submitting this report as my testimony because I don’t want you to listen to me," she wrote. "I want you to listen to the scientists. And I want you to unite behind the science. And then I want you to take action."

She also wrote in her testimony:

"I have not come to offer prepared remarks at this hearing. I am instead attaching my testimony. It is the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C (SR1.5) which was released on October 8, 2018."

Key takeaways:

• Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg wrote an eight-sentence testimony to Congress.
• She has started the FridaysForFuture initiative after observing major political inaction on the current global climate crisis.
• The 16-year-old has been awarded the ‘Ambassador of Conscience’ award by worldwide human rights organization, Amnesty International.

FridaysForFuture initiative by Thunberg

Greta Thunberg has started the FridaysForFuture initiative after observing major political inaction on the current global climate crisis. She began the initiative in August 2018 by sitting in front of the Swedish parliament every school day for three weeks to protest the alarming lack of action.

Responding to her call India is all set to witness its own ‘Climate Strike’. From September 20 to 27, thousands of school students from across the country will skip schools to be a part of it.

Read also: Greta Thunberg’s Message To PM Modi: Climate Change Serious

Thunberg's line up of events

Thunberg is scheduled to testify on Wednesday morning at a joint hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, Energy and the Environment and the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis.

The 16-year-old activist, who traveled to the U.S. from the U.K. on an emissions-free yacht, is in Washington to meet with lawmakers. After that, she is scheduled to visit New York City for the United Nations Climate Action Summit and participate in a nationwide U.S. equivalent of the school strikes for climate action that she originally held outside Sweden's parliament last year.

Honored With Amnesty Award

The 16-year-old teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg has been awarded the ‘Ambassador of Conscience’ award by worldwide human rights organization, Amnesty International. She is the first such teenager to start such a movement when she protested outside the Swedish Parliament last year. Along with her, Malala Yousafzai has received this award. Greta’s protest outside the Swedish Parliament inspired many students from all around the world.

She was diagnosed with Asperger's four years ago.

“Being different is a gift. It makes me see things from outside the box. I don’t easily fall for lies, I can see through things. If I would’ve been like everyone else, I wouldn’t have started this school strike for instances", she told the BBC.

Picture Credit: BBC

Read also: Thousands of Students Will Skip School For Global Climate Strike

Udisha Srivastav is an intern with SheThePeople.Tv