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Kremlin emphasizes Russia's ecological commitment after Swedish youth activist’s UN speech

In her speech on Monday, Thunberg accused the heads of state attending the UN climate summit of depriving her of her dreams and childhood with their empty promises
Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg at a protest rally in Paris, 2019 REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer
Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg at a protest rally in Paris, 2019
© REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer

MOSCOW, September 24. /TASS/. Russia has been devoting much attention to global ecological problems that Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old Swedish environmental activist, stated in her fiery speech to the UN Climate Action Summit on Monday, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.

"The problems she raises are in one way or another reflected in Russia’s global policy," Peskov told journalists.

"You know that our country has signed and joined the respective international documents, and I am also speaking about the Paris Agreement," Peskov mentioned. "We pay a great deal of attention to ecological issues, to climate change, you know that the environment is part and parcel of our national projects," he pointed out.

"That is why, Russia places a lot of emphasis on this issue," he stressed. When asked what the Kremlin thinks about such speeches by a teenager, Peskov noted the following about Thunberg’s appeal: "The most important is to see to it that the girl is okay, that she doesn’t suffer any emotional strain, and that her fragile teenage body copes well with this. Otherwise, the issue was rightfully raised, this problem is serious," he added.

"Maybe it must be explained to the young lady that many countries are doing a lot — countries, and individual organizations, both private and public ones," he went on to say, spotlighting the efforts made across the globe to fight the challenges and threats to the environment and the world’s climate.

In her speech on Monday, Thunberg accused the heads of state attending the UN climate summit of depriving her of her dreams and childhood with their empty promises. She warned global leaders against trying to maintain that enough was being done to fight pollution in the atmosphere. She ended the speech by pledging that the new generations would be closely monitoring the actions of the current governments.

Greta Thunberg, a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize, arrived in New York in late August on board the Malizia II yacht. In New York, she attended several rallies in support of fighting climate change.