Greta Thunberg warns 'everything we love is at stake' as she arrives at UN climate talks

ANTALYA, Turkey — Climate activist Greta Thunberg arrived at U.N. climate talks on Tuesday, condemning the annual proceedings as hypocritical and urging leaders to put people and the planet ahead of profits and power.

The COP31 conference is being held in the Turkish resort city of Antalya following a year of deadly climate-related disasters, including heat waves and floods, and another energy shock caused by the Iran war.

"It's a hypocrisy every year that the host countries are given an opportunity to whitewash themselves and we know that these negotiations are filled with lobbyists, paid by the very destructive industries which are benefiting from our extremely violent status quo," Thunberg said as she arrived. "Our political and economic systems that have become incompatible with human nature."

COP31 co-hosts Turkey and Australia are promoting renewable energy and rooftop solar installations, but both still rely heavily on fossil fuels, especially coal, to generate electricity. Previous hosts, including Brazil, the United Arab Emirates and Azerbaijan, are major oil producers.

Climate change is "threatening everything," Thunberg said, warning that "everything and everyone we love is at stake."

"We should act to protect and benefit people rather than constantly sacrificing the global majority and the very planet we are all living on, for a fortunate few to keep making unimaginable profits and maintaining geopolitical power," she said.

Thunberg blasts annual climate talks

This is the first climate summit Thunberg has attended since the 2021 talks in Glasgow, Scotland, where she dismissed world leaders' promises as "blah, blah, blah."

She rose to prominence in 2018 when, aged 15, she began a solitary " School Strike for Climate " outside the Swedish Parliament. In 2022, she published "The Climate Book," outlining actions to address the climate crisis.

She has won multiple awards and advocated for other causes, including the Free Palestine movement. Last year, she was arrested in London while supporting hunger-striking pro-Palestinian activists. More recently, she supported French students protesting for more school resources.

In 2024, she joined a protest in Georgia against Azerbaijan's hosting of COP29.

A key goal for Turkey is global electrification: shifting sectors such as transportation, buildings and heavy industry away from fossil fuels and toward electricity. Turkey wants electricity, preferably generated from renewable sources such as solar and wind, to account for 35% of global energy consumption by 2035, up from 23% today.

"We have to take the victories we have, of course, because we are so desperate in this situation that we have to take all the positive signs we can get to save as much as we can still save," said Thunberg, who is expected to spend several days at COP31.

Youth activists rally around Thunberg

Thunberg's arrival at the conference created excitement among many youth climate activists.

"In this time of heightened geopolitical tensions, I hope that Greta's presence here reminds us of why we started this work in the first place: to push for meaningful change, hold decision-makers accountable, and work towards a better future for all of humanity," said Amber Turner, a 26-year-old fellow with the Alliance of Small Island States.

"Worsening climate change impacts make it challenging for young people to be sure of a safe and thriving future," Turner added.

Protests at COP31 demanded more climate finance and criticized growing interest in nuclear energy.

"The presence of such a headline climate activist at one of the world's biggest conferences on climate is symbolic, and I hope that it will put pressure on the COP itself to deliver real action and implementation," said Kamori Osthananda, a youth negotiator with Thailand's COP delegation.

Qiyun Woo, a youth environmentalist from Singapore, said Thunberg's "powerful" presence "adds to calls from a generation that inherits the consequences of these negotiations."

"Besides her, there are many youth activists from around the world who are also on the ground who are actively fighting for their communities, home and collective future," she said.

The U.N. talks in Antalya run until Nov. 20. COP32 is scheduled to take place in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, in November 2027.

Arasu reported from Bengaluru, India and Delgado from Bangkok.

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