This is so wrong... I should not be up here, I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean.
These were the words of teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg during the opening of the 74 United Nations General Assembly in New York on Monday.
Dressed in a pink long blouse, the agitated Swedish activist believes she should not be addressing the assembly over the climate change crisis.
“…..You all come to us young people for hope, how dare you! You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words yet I am one of the lucky ones,” she retorted.
In a BBC video that has gone viral ,a teary Thunberg hit back at the assembly saying for over 30 years science about climate change has been crystal clear yet everyone has turned their backs away.
Thunberg, 16, said people are suffering and dying as result of climate change and yet nothing much was taking taking place.
"The entire eco systems is collapsing...we are in the beginning of a mass extinction and all you talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth," she proceeded amid applause.
She said it was evident that the Assembly will have no presentations on solutions or plans on combating the menace.
"There will be no plans or solutions presented here because the figures are not so comfortable and you are not mature enough to tell it as it is..... You are failing us but the young people are starting to understand your betrayal," she said.
"The eyes of all future generation are on you and if you choose to fail as, I say we will never forgive you."
Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta in his presentation challenged fellow world leaders to pursue climate change adaptation and mitigation measures that secure people's livelihoods and expand economic opportunities.
Uhuru said sustainable climate action is largely about people and their livelihoods adding that no one should be left behind in efforts to combat climate change.
He said Kenya is fully committed to the fight against climate change.
"Our commitment to tackling climate change is deep and arises out of the need to secure our future and that of our children as we have been victims of droughts and declining rainfall," he said.
