Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was arrested in London on Tuesday, making headlines as she stood in unity with hundreds of protesters against an event many have dubbed "the Oscars of oil|".

Video footage emerged on social media showing Thunberg being escorted by the police into a van, following her participation in a blockade outside the InterContinental Park Lane hotel. This venue hosted the Energy Intelligence Forum (EIF), a gathering point for global fossil fuel magnates and government officials, as reported by The Guardian.

Previously known as the Oil & Money Conference, critics have renamed it the "Oily Money Conference", highlighting its controversial nature in an era increasingly aware of environmental concerns.

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In a charged statement to the media, Thunberg expressed her concerns about the implications of such a conference. She stated: “Behind these closed doors at the oil and money conference, spineless politicians are making deals and compromises with lobbyists from destructive industries, the fossil fuel industry.”

She further highlighted the global ramifications of these industries, emphasizing that "people all over the world are suffering and dying from the consequences of the climate crisis caused by these industries".

Demonstrators echoed Thunberg's sentiments on Tuesday (October 17), barricading Hamilton Place with signs, banners, and vivid pink umbrellas adorned with painted eyes. Their chants resonated through the streets: “Oily money out” and “Cancel the conference”. Amidst this passionate uproar, smoke flares in yellow and pink were ignited.

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In an attempt to control the situation, the hotel area was fenced off. Delegates were closely guided by the police through the swarms of activists.

The Metropolitan Police later confirmed that a total of five individuals, including Thunberg, had been arrested on charges of obstructing the highway.

Bosses from renowned oil corporations like Aramco, Shell, Repsol, TotalEnergies, and the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation were slated to address the EIF. The event was structured to discuss pressing questions like the future of renewable energy and the continuous relevance of net zero. It was set to conclude with an award ceremony, celebrating achievements in the energy sector.

The protests were orchestrated by Fossil Free London, a prominent climate campaign group. Robin Wells, the group’s director, shed light on the contentious nature of the conference, emphasizing its role as a networking hotspot where "bigwigs are schmoozing politicians". She lamented the continuous influence of such events on political processes, stating: "These events are just a constant opportunity for the oil industry to lobby our politicians and ensure they are able to continue to corrupt our political processes."

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Greta Thunberg is certainly enjoying her time in Glasgow, Scotland, for COP26.

On Monday, November 1, the teenage climate change activist joined a crowd of protesters as she chanted: "You can shove your climate crisis up your a**."

Thunberg was one of the hundreds of activists present in Festival Park demonstrating against global leaders' failure to act in the midst of a climate crisis.

The moment quickly went viral on Twitter, and was retweeted by Thunberg with the caption: "When in Scotland..."

People were naturally tickled by Thunberg's chanting, and joked about her now-ties to Scottish culture.

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One Twitter user wrote: "Glad to see you're settling in," while another asserted: "A bottle of bucky and an iron bru an she's in [sic].''

Thunberg was one of the activists speaking at the Fridays for Future meeting of young activists at Festival park, near the COP26 campus.

She asserted that change would not be coming from the leaders and politicians at the summit, but rather from individuals who put themselves forward.

"This COP26 is so far just like the previous COPs and that has led us nowhere. They have led us nowhere," Thunberg said.

"Inside COP there are just politicians and people in power pretending to take our future seriously, pretending to take the present seriously of the people who are being affected already today by the climate crisis."

"Change is not going to come from inside there. That is not leadership - this is leadership," she added, before leading cries of "climate justice," and "no more blah, blah, blah".

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"We're sick and tired of it and we're going to make the change whether they like it or not," Thunberg concluded.

Earlier this week, the heads of 120 arrived in Glasgow for the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, US President Joe Biden, and French President Emmanuel Macron.

A further 25,000 delegates will be in attendance at the two-week climate conference (held between October 31 and November 12), which is taking place in the UN-controlled blue zone on the north side of Scotland's River Clyde.

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Greta Thunberg and over 600 young people in Sweden have sued the Swedish state over the climate crisis.

Hundreds of climate activists aged 26 and under, including Thunberg, marched through Stockholm on Friday to file a lawsuit against the Swedish state for its supposed insufficient action on climate change.

Per the Associated Press, Anton Foley - spokesman of the youth initiative Aurora, which prepared and filed the legal document - said: “Sweden has never treated the climate crisis like a crisis. Sweden is failing in its responsibility and breaking the law.”

Taking to Twitter, Thunberg added: "Today on Black Friday is the perfect day to sue the state over its insufficient climate policies. So that’s what we did. See you in court!"

The Associated Press reports that another activist, Ida Edling, said that the Scandinavian country “is pursuing a climate policy the research is very clear will contribute to a climate disaster in the future.”

The large-scale lawsuit comes after 19-year-old Thunberg criticized the West's reliance on capitalism.

The teen, while promoting her new book The Climate Book in London, said that the West needs a "system-wide transformation."

"We are never going back to normal again because ‘normal’ was already a crisis," the climate activist said, per The Telegraph. "What we refer to as normal is an extreme system built on the exploitation of people and the planet.

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"It is a system defined by colonialism, imperialism, oppression and genocide by the so-called global North to accumulate wealth that still shapes our current world order."

"We are still here, and we are not planning on going anywhere," she added, while speaking at London's Royal Festival Hall to launch her new book.

"Young people all over the world are stepping up, showing that our leaders messed with the wrong generation."

While answering questions about her stance, Thunberg went on to say: "We need to change everything because right now our current system is on a collision course with the future of humanity and the future of our civilization."

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She also recently branded the UN's climate conference COP27 a "colossal scam"

"I’m not going to COP27 for many reasons, but the space for civil society this year is extremely limited," she said, as reported by The Guardian.

"The COPs are mainly used as an opportunity for leaders and people in power to get attention, using many different kinds of greenwashing."

She added: "As it is, the COPs are not really working, unless, of course, we use them as an opportunity to mobilise, which we must try to do, and make people realise what a colossal scam this is."

Featured image credit: Per Grunditz / Alamy

16-year-old climate change activist, Greta Thunberg, earned millions of fans after her rousing speech at the United Nations Climate Change summit earlier this year.

And now, she has called upon every single person on the planet to stand up and join her in the fight against climate change.

Watch as Greta Thunberg rebukes world leaders:

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In an article written with fellow activists Luisa Neubaeur and Angela Valenzuela, Thunberg said that although there is now greater public awareness surrounding climate change, not enough action is being taken.

The piece, which was published in Project Syndicate, urged people to participate in the latest round of climate demonstrations, ahead of the upcoming UN climate summit in Madrid, which will begin on December 2nd.

Thousands of people are expected to attend the demonstrations, in locations around the globe.

"On the next two Fridays, we will again take to the streets: worldwide on November 29, and in Madrid, Santiago, and many other places on December 6 during the UN climate conference," the article reads.

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"Schoolchildren, young people, and adults all over the world will stand together, demanding that our leaders take action – not because we want them to, but because the science demands it.

[…] We have learned that, if we do not step up, nobody will. So we will keep up a steady drumbeat of strikes, protests, and other actions. We will become louder and louder. We will do whatever it takes to persuade our leaders to unite behind science so clear that even children understand it.

Collective action works; we have proved that. But to change everything, we need everyone. Each and every one of us must participate in the climate resistance movement. We cannot just say we care; we must show it.

Join us. Participate in our upcoming climate strikes in Madrid or in your hometown. Show your community, the fossil-fuel industry, and your political leaders that you will not tolerate inaction on climate change anymore. With numbers on our side, we have a chance."

The article went onto express the authors' frustration at seeing "a string of United Nations climate conferences," which have, thus far, delivered "empty commitments".

Greta Thunberg is reportedly facing a ban from Venice after she was involved in a protest stunt over the weekend.

The climate activist, along with the group Extinction Rebellion, were involved in a significant protest stunt as they attempted to draw attention to their cause across Italy.

In order to highlight the need for governments to address climate change, the collective dyed many of the city's rivers and canals green.

Thunberg, who was seen protesting with the group on Saturday, was fined €150 ($173) and was banned from the city for 48 hours.

She was not the only person to receive the punishment as 35 other protestors were handed the same fine and conditions.

Members of Extinction Rebellion defended their actions, claiming in protest videos that they'd used environmentally harmless dyes to pull off the stunt in order to draw attention to the critical state of climate change.

The group also criticised the Italian government, led by prime minister Giorgia Meloni, for opposing ambitious climate measures at Cop30.

The Italian arm of Extinction Rebellion had shared Instagram posts lambasting the detention of protestors as they defended the need for extreme actions to raise awareness of the dangers facing the planet.

Greta Thunberg was one of several protestors fined and banned from Venice. Credit: Fabrizio Villa/Getty Images

One post read: "On the morning of Saturday 22 November, with XR Udine, XR Trieste and XR Gorizia we dyed the waters of the Grande Canal (Trieste), together with the waters of 10 other Italian cities, to show the ecocide in progress.

"We’ve used fluorescein — a non-toxic, biodegradable compound. Eight people were detained for several hours for an identification certificate despite having immediately handed over the documents at the request of the police and were released with several complaints.

“With the slogan 'Stop the Ecocide', we denounce the ecocidal policies of the Italian Government and call the attention of all people to the devastating effects of the climate collapse.

“Ecocide is the depredation of ecosystems for economic exploitation, the destruction of natural resources brought about by wars and the inertia of governments in addressing climate change.”

Extinction Rebellion members were seen amid the water which had been dyed green. Credit: Mauro Ujetto/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Luca Zaia, governor of the Veneto region, criticized the groups actions, claiming it was "a disrespectful act towards our city, its history and its fragility".

He added: "It’s a gesture that risks having consequences for the environment."

The stunt has received a mixed reaction from the public with many praising the group for going to great lengths to get their concerns heard and to push governments into taking action, while others have been unhappy with the disruptive nature of many of their stunts.

Featured image credit: Fabrizio Villa / Getty Images