Environmentalist Bella Lack, 17, has a stark warning for the world on climate change: "We can't continue to have this infinite growth on a finite planet." Lack spoke of her concern over the issue in an interview with CGTN's Global Business.
The coronavirus pandemic has demanded the world's attention for most of 2020, but the urgent issue of climate change still remains.
Lack, who is yet to finish her schooling, said the future was in peril due to inaction and apathy and called for immediate action.
According to the World Economic Forum, 2020 and 2016 take joint position for hottest years on record. In 2020, 10 million people were affected by floods, while the Atlantic Ocean suffered 29 tropical storms, 12 of which made landfall. In the U.S. wildfires cost the country more than $12 billion and in Australia bush fires released large amounts of CO2.
Governments around the world are working towards a greener future. China is banning single-use plastics as well as increasing the use of non-fossil fuels in the hope of becoming carbon neutral by 2060.
Europe is dedicating 37 percent of its $900 billion recovery plan to the EU Green Deal; aiming for a 55 percent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. And in the U.S., President Joe Biden has rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement.
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But what of businesses?
Lack told CGTN she believed the problem was that "no one really wants to be first." However, there are "social tipping points just as there are environmental tipping points and once businesses realize that actually there are huge consumer demands and huge citizen demands for change, they need to be the ones to make that change … putting green values and putting environmentalism at the heart of what they do," she added.
Although there is much talk of tackling the climate change crisis, Lack is skeptical of what she perceives to be "lip service" and calls for the pledges to be turned into action. For Lack, listening to young voices like hers on the issue of climate change is important, but it's more important to hear the messages they are trying to convey.