Topic: Greta Thunberg at the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York.

Purpose: Call out world leaders for their lack of action taken against climate change and shed
light on the collapsing ecosystems of our planet to collectivize the younger generations who
inhabit it against climate change.
Thesis: Greta Thunberg’s speech enacts a sense of urgency within the United Nations and the
younger generations of our planet, to further inquire into the prominent issue of climate change
and address it.

Intro
● Hook: At just 16 years old, Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg created a
global climate movement and sparked a general interest in “climate change… the single
greatest threat to our futures”.
● Context: Although the Earth’s climate has experienced cycles of warming and cooling
throughout its existence, it has never gone through the rapid changes it is currently
experiencing. The Earth is rapidly warming at rates that would naturally take
millenniums, but are now taking place within decades. Many environmental activists
have taken notice of this, however, Greta Thunberg was allowed to explain how this
alarming fact will affect the current and future inhabitants of our planet to the most
influential figures in the world at the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New
York.
● Greta Thunberg’s speech enacts a sense of urgency within the world leaders at the
summit and her broader audience, the younger generations of our planet, to further
inquire into the prominent issue of climate change and address it.

Body
● Young people share a common enterprise as Thunberg reinforces that we are the ones
who will have to deal with the turmoil of the effects of climate change.
○ This created the fear and sense of urgency that our world is rapidly on track to
becoming uninhabitable which has become commonplace amongst the youth.
○ After Thunberg’s speech, hundreds of protests were organized around the world in
an attempt to further emphasize their goal to world leaders and let them know
they were serious about supporting Thunberg’s message.
■ A quarter of protestors at a protest in DC a week after the UN Climate
Action Summit were proven to be less than 18 years old. (Fisher)
● If action is not taken by world leaders climate change will leave irreversible damage to
our planet that will affect our everyday lives.
○ Thunberg illustrates to the UN using statistics that the already existing policies
and budgets concerning CO2 levels and emissions they enacted will not help save
the planet in the long run.
 ■ They will need to employ new policies before it is left to the younger
generations to deal with the consequences of their wrongdoings.
● These consequences involve unfixable damage to the world's
various ecosystems which will leave our planet uninhabitable and
therefore affect our lives for the worse.
● Thunberg and the global movement she generated are calling attention to the gravity of
the Earth’s worsening climate situation.
○ Thunberg scolded the world leaders in front of her at the summit for their empty
words since they said they heard the cries and worries for the future of our planet
and whatever inhabits it, yet they still failed to take action.
○ The global movement Thunberg created captured the media's attention as many
news outlets called her the leader of the global climate strikes.
● Inspired by Thunberg’s speech, the youth have utilized the civic infrastructure of school
as a weapon against world leaders.
○ Since it would be up to the younger generations to fix the mess world leaders
have left from not fighting against climate change, children and teenagers in
schools around the world started to skip their Friday classes.
■ The movement is known as the School Strike for Climate which gained
prominence after Thunberg’s speech and after she participated in the
movement herself.
■ By skipping school, the younger generations are emphasizing to world
leaders that they are scared enough about the future of the earth to give up
their education.
● Additionally, by giving up their attendance in school world leaders
would eventually be forced to have to satisfy the need for action
the movement is requiring before the movement grew to a level
where many kids would not get the education they need due to
participating in the movement.
● The utilization of school as a weapon worked as the movement
grabbed the attention of policymakers and of course the media.

Conclusion
● Greta Thunberg’s spirited speech to the United Nations and her fellow youth successfully
showcases her civic engagement as she sparked a global movement among the youth and
advocated for their involvement in the fight against climate change. She has left a lasting
impact on the minds of the young generation about the power that each of us holds, and
through this, impressed and caught the attention of older generations to create a sense of
 urgency to take action against what could endanger the future of our planet.

Works Cited

Thunberg, Greta, et al. “Opinion | This Is the World Being Left to Us by Adults.” The New York
Times, 19 Aug. 2021,
www.nytimes.com/2021/08/19/opinion/climate-un-report-greta-thunberg.html.

Kann, Drew. “Greta Thunberg Got the World’s Attention. but Are Leaders Listening?” CNN,
Cable News Network, 29 Sept. 2019,
www.cnn.com/2019/09/28/world/climate-change-youth-activists-greta-thunberg-world-leaders-i
naction/index.html.