Teenage activist Greta Thunberg takes climate protest to Trump

(Reuters News, 13 Sep 2019) Trump is among a small minority of global leaders who has openly questioned the science of climate change.

Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, who shot to global fame for inspiring worldwide student strikes to promote action against climate change, took her mission to U.S. President Donald Trump's doorstep on Friday with a protest outside the White House.

Thunberg, wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt with her hair loosely pulled back in a ponytail, was greeted with a hero's welcome by hundreds of mostly young people carrying signs reading "People or Profit?" and "Warming!", and chanting "This is a crisis, act like it!" and "Business as usual is not enough."

"This is very overwhelming," she said softly into a megaphone after a march in front of the White House in which she walked amidst the other activists instead of in front - sometimes hard to hear over the cheers.

"See you next week," she said toward the end of the event, referring to a planned Sept. 20 global "Climate Strike" in which youth and adults are encouraged to walk out of school or work to urge more action on climate change.

The demonstration marked the first high-profile event of Thunberg's six-day visit to Washington, intended to pressure the Trump administration and Congress ahead of a United Nations climate summit, where world leaders will be asked to ramp up their carbon emissions cutting to fend off global warming.

Trump is among a small minority of global leaders who has openly questioned the science of climate change. He has announced his intention to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement – a global pact to stem the rise in global temperatures - and has a policy of maximizing American production of fossil fuels.

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Reuters News, 13 Sep 2019: Teenage activist Greta Thunberg takes climate protest to Trump