Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Sputnik that she believes that 16-year-old Greta Thunberg, who has become an international figurehead for climate change activists, is above all a child, and that the ongoing work of scientists and academics into meeting the challenge of climate change should be studied and utilized
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st December, 2019) Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Sputnik that she believes that 16-year-old Greta Thunberg, who has become an international figurehead for climate change activists, is above all a child, and that the ongoing work of scientists and academics into meeting the challenge of climate change should be studied and utilized.
"I think that first and foremost, she is a child. After that, you can begin to argue whether this child is being used by adults, has already grown up, or has no other choice than, for example, to go down the path that was offered to them. There are certain circumstances. But above all, I see in her a child," Zakharova stated in an interview.
The Foreign Ministry spokeswoman stressed that scientists should lead the charge in finding solutions to meet the challenges that climate change presents. Without this, Zakharova warned, the world could expect unpredictable results and must take into account the work being conducted by scientists and academics across the world.
"And for some reason, this is not interesting to anyone. However, a bright personality immediately 'solves' a large amount of issues relating to a certain idea. I believe that, with all the understanding and even respect of the work of public relations specialists, that there should be a scientific base in all of these, without which the 'collective unconsciousness' may lead us to unpredictable consequences, sometimes with the opposite desired result," Zakharova remarked.
In 2018, Thunberg gained worldwide recognition after she began protesting in front of the Swedish parliament on Fridays, demanding tougher measures to combat climate change. She was recently voted as Time's "Person of the Year 2019," becoming the youngest person to receive the coveted title in the magazine's 92-year history.
Earlier this year, Thunberg attended the UN Climate Action Summit in New York after traveling across the Atlantic Ocean on a zero-emission carbon-neutral racing yacht. She also attended the 25th UN Climate Change Conference (COP25) in Madrid in December.
