- Title: Teenage activist Greta Thunberg brings call for climate action to Iowa
- Date: 4th October 2019
- Summary: IOWA CITY, IOWA, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 4, 2019) (REUTERS) VIEW OF SMALL CHILDREN MARCHING CHANTING "WE LOVE EARTH" CLIMATE ACTIVIST GRETA THUNBERG WALKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) GRETA THUNBERG, SAYING: "I didn't expect this many people. I don't think the owners expected this many people because they seem quite overwhelmed as well. So, it was just very happy, I was very happy to see that and to have such a warm welcome." THUNBERG BEING INTERVIEWED (SOUNDBITE) (English) GRETA THUNBERG, SAYING: "It is fun when such powerful people mock you like that. I mean it is a hilarious situation you are in and it is hard to realize that it is. You need to be able to laugh at it as well because, I mean, they will probably go on no matter what I say so just, yeah, laugh at it." THUNBERG BEING INTERVIEWED (SOUNDBITE) (English) GRETA THUNBERG, SAYING: "Right now I am traveling west and I mean like, through the continent just stopping by some places, visiting some places, some people and of course striking every week so I'll see where I strike next week." THUNBERG BEING PHOTOGRAPHED/THEN PETTING DOG BANNER WITH DRAWING OF PLANET EARTH WITH THE CAPTION: "WHAT I STAND FOR I STAND ON" CLIMATE ACTIVISTS GATHERED FOR CLIMATE STRIKE WOMAN SIGNING PETITION (SOUNDBITE) (English) COSI BARRY, 15-YEAR-OLD FROM IOWA CITY, SAYING: "Well just I think our nation's government doesn't believe that climate change is a big deal and I think it is really important that someone around our age is traveling the world and talking about climate change and pushing to get it to end and pushing to get things like fracking and using coal to stop because it is a really a really big problem. And that she has the guts to go up to these strong, powerful adults in office and command change, I think that is a really big deal." BANNER READING: "RECYCLE AND REUSE, SOS" WOMAN IN CROWD CARRYING BANNER (SOUNDBITE) (English) ANNA DREUSICKE, 15-YEAR-OLD FROM IOWA CITY, SAYING: "Yes, I think she (Greta Thunberg) is making a huge difference. I think that she is standing up to all these adults and not many kids our age are willing to do this." (SOUNDBITE) (English) LILY ENSIGN, UNIVERSITY STUDENT FROM DES MOINES, SAYING: "I think she gets people who otherwise wouldn't pay attention to climate change and what's going on, she excites them to come out and to protest and to get involved, yeah and to raise awareness for it." (SOUNDBITE) (English) RACHEL HAGG, 24-YEAR-OLD STUDENT, FROM SAINT ANTHONY, IOWA. SAYING: "Yeah it is the biggest issue I think facing our future at the moment and I think that everyone should be giving it a lot more attention, so that is why we are here." VIEW OF PROTESTERS GATHERED FOR CLIMATE STRIKE
- Embargoed: 18th October 2019 22:01
- Keywords: Greta Thunberg
- Location: IOWA CITY, IOWA, UNITED STATES
- City: IOWA CITY, IOWA, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Environment,Climate Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001AZOO9XJ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Hundreds of people gathered in Iowa City on Friday (October 4) to watch teenage activist Greta Thunberg speak at a rally to demand that political leaders and institutions take urgent action to combat climate change.
Demonstrators, including many young activists, held signs and chanted "we love earth" as they waited for the young Swede to take the stage on the campus of the University of Iowa.
Thunberg's campaign demanding that world leaders tackle climate change began as a lonely vigil outside the Swedish parliament, but saw her rise to address the United Nations on the issue last month, and took her to Iowa City on Friday.
The 16-year-old stopped in the Midwestern city, located in the state that will hold the first of next year's U.S. presidential nominating contests, as part of her tour of North America ahead of a U.N.-sponsored climate conference in Santiago, Chile, in December.
In recent weeks, millions of people have poured onto streets around the globe in protests inspired by Thunberg to demand governments take urgent action on climate change.
Students in Iowa City said Thunberg's visit was a testament to their efforts to demand change from local leaders.
Climate activists in Iowa say they have called for local institutions to employ 100% renewable energy by the year 2030 and to cease operations at the University of Iowa's coal-burning plant, among other actions.
A polarizing figure in the climate change debate, Thunberg is venerated by many of her peers and ridiculed by some critics. She is the odds on favorite to win the Nobel Peace Prize this month, though her aggressive style may turn off some on the Nobel committee.
Thunberg denounced world leaders for failing to tackle climate change and accused them of "stealing her dreams" in an impassioned speech at the United Nations Climate Action Summit last month.
With events such as extreme weather, thawing permafrost and sea-level rise unfolding much faster than expected, scientists say the urgency of the climate crisis has intensified since the signing of the Paris accord in 2015.
U.S. President Donald Trump intends to pull the United States out of the international deal that aims to reduce carbon emissions. Under terms of the pact, that cannot formally happen before Nov. 4, 2020.
Scientists say existing pledges to curb emissions are nowhere near enough to avert catastrophic warming and have warned that failing to change course could ultimately put the survival of industrial societies at risk.
(Production: Alan Devall) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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