Greta Thunberg has said that it's "weird" that "straight, white, privileged, middle-aged men" feel so threatened by children "just stating the facts" about the growing climate emergency.
The Swedish climate activist was appearing on British comedian Russell Howard's TV show, The Russell Howard Hour, to discuss climate change and to promote her new book, The Climate Book.
The 19-year-old Stockholmer explained to Howard that the people who are affected most by the climate emergency are rarely given the opportunity to speak about it, saying: "I feel that [some activism stories] are kind of misleading because the ones who are really leading this fight are the ones living on the frontline."
She continued: "It is mainly indigenous people, indigenous communities, people living in the most affected areas who are in many cases risking their lives and their freedom in order to protest against this."
"Of course, people need to take action, but we need to center those on the front line. It's time to decolonize the climate movement and pass over the mic to those who have stories to tell," Thunberg added, via The Telegraph.
The teen activist has discussed these topics and more in her latest book, which was released last week.
"Our so-called leaders still think they can bargain with physics and negotiate with the laws of nature. They speak to flowers and forests in the language of US dollars and short-term economics. They hold up their quarterly income reports to impress the wild animals. They read stock-market analysis to the waves of the ocean, like fools," she writes.
The book continues: "We are approaching a precipice. And I would strongly suggest that those of us who have not yet been greenwashed out of our senses stand our ground. Do not let them drag us another inch closer to the edge. Not one inch. Right here, right now, is where we draw the line."
During his show, Howard also asked Thunberg about her struggles with selective mutism, and how she has overcome this when speaking internationally about climate change.
"I had selective mutism, I couldn't speak to people other than my parents, my sister, and one of my teachers, and going from that to trying to speak to the whole world is different [...] It was stepping out of my comfort zone, but then I thought 'well we're in an existential crisis, people are dying, the least I can do is step out of my comfort zone and do a few interviews,'" she responded.
And she's right. In fact, Thunberg herself is a perfect example of her famous quote: "You're never too small to make a difference."
Thunberg's comments also come after she branded the UN's climate conference a "scam". Read more here.
