Greta Thunberg to President Biden: “Treat the Climate Crisis Like a Crisis”

Last updated on March 11th, 2021 at 07:17 am

Climate activist Greta Thunberg urged President Joe Biden and his administration to “treat the climate crisis like a crisis” during an appearance on MSNBC.

“Just treat the climate crisis like a crisis,” she said. “They have said themselves that this is an existential threat, and they’d better treat it accordingly, which they are not. They are just treating the climate crisis as [if] it were a political topic among other topics.”

Thunberg, who often criticized former President Donald Trump and his administration for gutting environmental regulations and asserting that climate change is a man-made hoax, noted that reactions to the climate crisis are intensifying, and acknowledged that this places politicians in a difficult position.

To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.

“I understand it’s difficult, and to be honest I would not want to be in a politician’s position right now. I can’t imagine how hard it must be,” she said.  “How can you expect support and pressure from voters … if you are not treating the crisis like a crisis?”

Thunberg said the president, who re-entered the United States into the Paris Climate Accord and has rolled back some of his predecessor’s deregulatory actions, has a responsibility to get people involved.

“So what we need now is to raise awareness and to create public opinion to treat the crisis like a crisis. Because if people are not aware of the crisis that we face, of course they wouldn’t put pressure on the elected leaders. So I would just tell him to, to tell the situation as it is,” she said.

You can watch Thunberg’s full interview below.

Alan Herrera

Alan is a writer, editor, and news junkie based in New York.