[captiononing made possible by democracy now!] ♪ >> from new york this is democracy now. greta: i couldn't connect the dots why people were just going on like before and still saying yes, climamate change is very important. i don't get that double moral in a way. the difference from between what -- between what you know and what you say and what you do,

how you act. >> today we spend the hour with 16-year-old swedish climate activist greta thunberg. she launched a school strike for the climate last year by standing in climate last year by standing in front of the swedish parliament every friday to demand action to prevent catastrophic climate change. her protest went global, with schoolchildren worldwide launching their own strikes and now she has come to play a leading role in the climate justice movement. greta has refused to fly for years because of emissions, and now she's arrived in new york after crossing the atlantic ocean on a zero-emissions racing yacht to join the global climate strike september 20 and join the u.n. summit. greta: when you hold the people in power accountable for what they have been doing to us and other enerations and

living species on earth and we need to get angry and understand what is at stake and we need to transform that anger into action. >> greta will also talk about addressing the european and british parliament, meeting the pope and we'll talk to her about her asperger's what, she calls her special power and how she planning to attend the white house on friday. all that and more coming up. >> welcome to democracy now, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. president trump has ousted national security advisor john bolton, one of the most hawkish members of his administration. trump claims he fired bolton but bolton says he first offered to resign. bolton was a fierce critic of diplomacy within the white house. he opposed negotiations

with north korea, iran as well as the taliban in afghanistan. bolton also strongly backed trump's decision to pull out of the iran nuclear deal and openly called foror bombing iran. bolton was also a key supporter of the attempted u.s.-backed coup in venezuela and a supporter of regime change in cuba and nicaragua. bolton becomes the third national security advisor to be ousted by trump so f far. in a tweet announcing bolton's ouster, trump wrote quote "i disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions, as did others in the admdministration, he said. secretary of mike pompeo later made a similar comment. >> there with many times that we disagree. . that's to be true but that's true for lots of people who would whom i interact with. >> on capitol hill, reaction to bolton's ouster was mixed. republican senator rand paul said quote "the threat of war worldwide goes down exponentially with john bolton out the white house."

meanwhile reblblicanenatator mitt rney cacaed the news ote "an traordiny loss f our nation andhe whiteouse." raeli pre miminier benjan netanyahhas voweto annex nearly ahird of e occupi west bank, if he wins next eek's snap election. >> today, i'm announcing my intention to apply with the formation of the next government, israeli soverereign on the jordan valley and northehern dead sea. >> netanyahu's plededge was widely deununced by leaeaders in the region in part because it would crush hopes of an eventual palestinian state. longtime palestinian negotiator saeb erekat said the move would add to israel's long history of violating international law. >> what prime minister netanyahu said tonight about asking his people for a mandate to allow that to enable him to enact the jordan valley and it is paramount to a war crime. >> scotland's highest court has declared british prime minister

boris johnson's decision to suspend parliament for five weeks to be unlawfwful quote "bececse it had d the purpose of stymieing parliament." but itit remains uncnclear what impact the ruling will have. critics of johnson have accused him of suspending parliament to limit the ability of lawmakers to pass a plan ahead of october 31 when britain is scheduled to leave the european union. fallout from the nuclear disaster at the fukushima nuclear plant in japan continues eight years after the triple meltdown. on tuesday, japan's environment minister revealed the plant's operators may have to begin dumping radioactive water from the plant into the pacific ocean begiginning inin 2022 bebecause plplant is running out of room store it. the plant's tanks current write stotore one milil tons of contaminateted water.r. in north carolina, two republican candidates backed by president trump won special

elections on tuesday for open congressional seats. conservative state senator dan bishop narrowly beat democrat dan mccready in an special election held after the results of november's election were thrown out due to republican election fraud. at a victory celebration on tuesday bishop repeatedly praised president trump. >> we're not tired of winning. we're just getting started winning because we're seeing the successful results of president trump's agenda. [cheers and applause] > in another north carolina special election, republian dr. greg murphy was elected to fill the seat of republican congressman walter jones who died in february. in voting news, a new study by the leadership conference on civil and human rights has found nearly 1700 polling places have been closed since the supreme court gutted the voting rights act in 2013. the study focused on southern states a and other areas impacted by the court's decision.

on tuesday the head of the leaderership confeference, vani gupta, testifed before congress. >> polling place closures and consolidations can be a tactic for disenfranchising voter, particularly voters of color, older voter, and voters with disabilities. and since the shelby decision, jurisdictions are closing poll places at an alarming speed. amy: in california, lawmakers passed landmark legislation tuesdayay forcing companies like uber and lyft to treat contract workers like employees. the bill, which was passed by the state senate and is expected to be greenlighted by the assembly, has massive implications for the gig economy and will affect more than one million workers in california. app companies like uber, lyft and others have come under increasing pressure to address rampant workers rights abuses and lack of basic financial security for dririvers while company executives rake in millions. uber co-founder travis kalanick recently purchased a anhattan penthouse for $36.5

million. in july, uber co-founder garrett camp purchased a beverly hills mansion worth $72.5 million -- the most expensive sale ever in the upscale neighborhood. new data from the u.s. census bureau shows 27.5 million americans lacked health insurance last year. this marked a nearly two million-person increase over the previous year. house speaker nancy pelosi blamed the increase on what she described as president trump's quote "cruel health care sabotage." in other health news, a sixth person has died in the united states from lung disease related to vaping. an additional 450 people have suffered lung illness. the centers for disease control and prevention has launched an investigation and has recommended people refrain from usining any electronicic cigare or vaping device until more is known about the epidemic.

a former top official in the federal emergency management agency was arrested on tuesday for allegedly taking bribes from he head of a company who received $1.8 billion in federal contracts to repepair puerto rico's powower grid d after hurricane e maria devaststated e island in 2017. former deputy fema administrator ahsha tribble reportedly accepted lavish gifts from the company head -- former cobra acquisitions president donald keith ellison -- including first class plane tickets and hotel rooms, a helicopter ride over puerto rico, a new york city apartment and access to one of ellison's credit cards. ellison and a former fema employee who went on to work at cobra were also arrested. the u.s.s. attorney f puerto rico rosa emilia rodríguez vélez said quote "they took advantage of one of the most vulnerable moments in the history of puerto rico t to enrh themselves." while president trump has repeatedly accused puerto rican officials of being corrupt none of the parties involved in the

bribery scheme were puerto rican. the comedian hasan minhaj testified before the house financial services committee tuesday. he urged lawmakers to tackle the $1.5 trillion student debt crisis. >> now, look, we know the debt is stacked in borrowers in what is that it wasn't 10 or 15 years ago. and they deserve some basic protections americans should not have to go bankrupt pursuing higher education. and they would never be preyed upon by underregulated lone servicing companies. so members of this committee, we how the government is capable of stepping in during a financial crisis. so really, all i'm asking today is why can't we treat our student borrowers the way we treat our banks? because 44 million americans, that is too big to fail. amy: the pioneering photographer robert frank has died at the age of 94. he was best known for "the americans," a groundbreaking collection of black and white photographs that

captured life in the united states in the 1950s displaying raw images of racism, poverty nd inequality. frank once told the "new york times," "my mother asked me, 'why do you always take pictures of poor people?' it wasn't true, but my sympathies were with people who struggled. there was also my mistrust of people who made the rules." and today marks the 18th anniversary of the 2001 attacks n the world trade center and pentagon. just under 3,000 died on 9/11. hundreds more ave died from 9/11 related illnesses over the past 18 years. memorials are being held across the country today. and those are some of the headlines. and those are sosome of ththe headlines this is democracy now, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. today we spend the hour with greta thunberg, the 16-year-old swedish climate activist who has inspired millions across the globe.

last year as a 15-year-old, she launched a school strike for the climate, skipping school every friday to stand in front of the swedish parliament, emanding action to prevent catastrophic climate change. her protest spread, quickly going global. hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren around the globe have participated in their own, local school strikes for the climate. since her strike began in 2018 greta has come to play a leading figure in the climate justice movement. she has taken part in protests across europe. she has addressed world leaders at the u.n. climate talks in poland and the european payrollment union. un climate n -- talks in poland and the eu parliament. she has even met the pope. and now she is in new york to attend the one-day un climate change summit on september 23 and to take part in

a global climate strike on september 20th. greta recently arrived in new york after a two-week trans-atlantic voyage aboard a zero-emissions racing yacht. greta has refused to fly for years. she is also planning to antenna the u.n. climate talks in santiago chile in december. i spoke with greta tuesday in our democracy now! studio. greta thunberg, it's great to have you back on democracy now!. greta: thank you. amy: so why don't we start at the beginning? there's a great controversy and it's how you pronounce your name. can you say your full name for us? greta: greta thunberg. amy: and that's the swedish version. greta: yes. amy: and as you come to the united states, people are calling you by different names. can you tell us how you sort of adapt? . eta: sometimes it's thunberg sometimes it's thunberg. everyone pronounces it

differently. i don't mind anyone pronouncing it wrong. there's no wrong way to pronounce it. everyone pronounce it in their own way. amy: so say again, how you were born. what your parents called you. greta: greta thunberg. amy: well, greta, , it's wonderl to have you with us today. let's start at the beginning, how you got involved with climate action, how you got involved being deeply concerned about the climate crisis. how old were you? greta: i think when i -- i think i was maybe 7, 8, 9 years old when i -- when i first heard about the problem. and then, of course, by time, i read about it more and more. and sort of understood how, how important it was and how severe this crisis was. and so it was around that age i maybe 10, 11, 12, i think

became really into the climate movement when i was 12, 13. and that's when i became e like climate activist. i went to demonstrations at that time and i tried to join organizations and movements and so on. but then i just thought that everything was still happening too slow and that it wasn't going fast enough. so then i just decided that i am going to do something on my own and that might not work, but there's a chance it will -- it can have an impact and i thought why not try? so i started school striking for the climate. amy: you went through a crisis in that period after you were 8 years old. can you talk about what you went through? greta: yeah. was after that, i sort of reading about and i understood

and that make me very depressed, of course. and when you are the only one andreacts about this crisis everyone else seems to just ok, it's very important but i am too busy with m my life. and i just thought that it was very strange that no one else was behaving in a logical way. and so i -- amy: what would that logical way have been? greta: to do something, to step out of your comfort zone and to realize that ok, we cannot continue like we have done now. we need to do somethihing drastitically, and i a am going do e everything i can to help, push in the right direction. but no one seems to do that. my parents were justst like continuing likike before. my classmates, everyone of my

relatives, i meaean, no o one w- no one seememed to care about these issueses except me. and that was a strange feeling. amy: and so, you disended into a depression? greta: yes. it was of course, caused by many reasons but that was, i think, ththe biggest reason to it becae i just thought that's everything is just so wrong a and that everything is so strange and everything is so sad and why isn't anyone doing anything about this. and so then i fell into a depression. nd it last for maybe a year or something. then i -- amy: you stopped talking? greta: yeah, i stopped dish stopped talking to -- because i

a disease that i only spoke to some people. my teacher, for instance, my parents, some members of my family. and so on. and i stopped eating almost entirely. i only -- it was a big problem. i lost a lot of weight because i was just so depressed. nothing seemed to matter anymore. t then i started to, to come back, to become better, to feel better. and a reason for that was because i saw that there are actually things you can do and i realized that i can do things. i shouldn't be sitting here doing nothing, wasting my time when i can actually have an impact.

nd then i sort of thought into become better and then i became a climate activist and that helped a lot. and i think the more involved i became, the more involved i got in the climate movement, the better i feel, the happier i feel because i feel l like i am doing something important, something meaningful. amy: so talk about what happened, what you did about what, just about a year ago now. you were 15 years old. you went in front of a swedish parliament every single day? at the beginning? greta: yep. first, or, i mean, every school day, not saturday and sunday. but every school day for three weeks until the upcoming election and then that was my plan to stop after the election. but then on the friday,

friday r 7, that's when for future started because then i start why not continue? why stop now when we are actually having an impact? so then i and some other school strikers thought that we should go on and we should call it friday for future and it should be onn friridays. amy: and how did the swedish m.p.'s respond to you? this 15-year-old girl, teenager, on the steps of the swedish parliament all day? greta: at the beginning, they didn't notice me. everyone just went straight past and -- amy: were you holding a sign? greta: yes, a big sign made you've wood. amy: that said? it said on it? greta: school for democracy.

and some flyers where it said "we children don't usually do what you adults tell us to do. we doo as you dodo. and since you don't give a damn about my future, i don't either." so i'm school striking for the climate. a on the back, i had spent lot of time writing down facts i thought everyone should know. and i handed out these flyers. yeah, but in the beginning, no one noticed me. everyone just went straight past , even when the people started gathering there, the politician, the parliamentarians, they didn't see me. and then to some point, it became ridiculous in a way because i saw them every, every day first and then every friday.

and then they never said hi. after a while, i said hi, good morning. and i said good morning. but they didn't really highlight it in a way. and then when it became famous, when it became big, then they started to, of course, take advantage of that. i feel like we support greta and the school strikers. and so on. because they will always pose . xt to you if that gains them amy: you remember what some of the facts were on the back of that poster you carried? greta: yes. it was that, of course, it needs to be updated today. but it was like up to 200 species are going extinct every single day and then of course,

on that and we are in the sixth mass extinction. and just facts that i thought people should know that should be common knowledge, and also a bit about swedish emissions, about how our emissions weren't i included in where we -- mean, the official emissions and the averagege swedess emit co2 p per year and so on. amy: greta thunberg launched a school s strike for the climate last year, skipping school every friday to stand in front of the swedish parliament, demandnding action to prevent catastrophic climate change. she will be protesting in front

of the white house on friday. when we come back, she talks about having asperger's, what she calls her super power. stay with us. ♪ ♪ music break]

my: "won't back down" by tom petty." this is democracy now, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. we continue my interview now with greta thunberg, the 16-year-old swedish climate activist who has inspired millions around the world. she is in new york to attend a un climate change summit and take part in a global climate strike onon friday, septetember 20th. so before you went global, we cameou in poland before we seeing your hashtag, seeing your twitter feed. it said at the time you were 15, 15-year-old climate activist with asperger's. that's the part we didn't talk about yet the asperger's. when were you diagnosed and how do you think that contributes to your concern and your singular focus on this issue? greta: when i'm really interested in something, i get

super focused on that. and i can spend hours, upon hours, not getting tired of reading about it and still be, still be interested to learn more about it. and it is very common for people on the autism spectrum. yeah, and it just -- i think that was one of the reasons why, why i was one of the few who really reacted to the climate crisis because i couldn't connect the dots why people were just going on like before and still saying yes, climate change is very important. i don't get that double moral in a way. the difference from between --

between what you know and what you say and what you do, how you act. and for me, it's called cognitive dissonance. and i don't really -- i, in a way, i walk the walk. if i decide to do something, hen i do it. so, yeah. amy: you called being on a spectrum your superpower. why? greta: because it helped me see things in a way that others might not see and it just helps be different, which i think if a superpower in this society where everyone is the same, where everyone thinks the same, everyone looks the same, everyone does the same things. and d so i think t that is someg

to realllly be proud of, that y are different. and in such a crisis like this, we need to think outside the box. we need outside-the-box thinking. we can't continue thinking like we are today within our current system and we need t t -- and thenen we need people toto thin outside the box and who can see this from a different perspectivet's t always ly a gift and a superpower that many people suffer from, suffer from it because they cannot get the right adjustments they need. and they are not living under the riright circumstances, whici didn't, asas well, for a long time. but n now i do. amy: so talk about how you've

decided to live your life. yes, you do this climate strike at least once a week and we'll talk about what you're doing here as well in the united states. but the personal decisions you've made that are also political decisions. flks, what you eat what, you -- for example, what you eat, what you wear, how you travel. greta: yes. i think it was two or three, maybe four years ago, i stopped flying. and because that seemed like a big thing to do because the impact, the climate impact of aviation on a global scale, i mean, individually, it is such a big carbon such a footprint. so i just decidided i'm not goi to fly anymore. and that, of course, was a lot

of trouble for my family because they wanted us to go on vacation and so on. so i was kind of a troublemaker. but then i actually convinced them. i guilt them into also doing it. fifirst, my mom, a and then my as well. and my sister as well. . d then also i am vegan and i have shop stopped. it means that you don't buy new things, consume new things unless you absolutely have to. and just these small things i can do in my everyday life, apart from activism and highlighting the problem. amy: so, in terms of being a vegan, explain what that means. greta: that i don't use any anyucts made from -- i mean

-- i don't eat for example -- amy: any animal products? greta: i don't eat any animal products. i don't use any animal products both because of eththical and environmental and the climate reasons. amy: and in terms of clothes, you don't buy new clothes? greta: no. [laughter] greta: either i buy second-hand or i receive clothes from someone else or i just keep my own clothes. maybe use my sister's clothes or my mother's or father's clothes. yeah. amy: so when we saw you in poland at the u.n. climate summit, talk about how you got there. if you don't fly, talk about how you get around. greta: i go by bus, by train and

electrical car and sailboat as well. and it takes a lot of time and i'm not saying that everyone should stop flying and start sailing everywhere, but it was, i thought that i am one of the very few people in the world who can actually do this and who has this opportunity to do this trtrip. and then i thought why not? and it s sure gained a lot of attention. amy: so i want to go to the speech you gave when we saw you in poland at the u.n. climate summit. this is a clip of what you had to say to the u.n. secretary general and all those who were gagathered f for the u.n. clima summit. greta: today we used 100 million barrels of oil everyry single d. there are no politics to change

that. . therere are no rules to keep th oil l in the ground. so we can no longer save t the world by playining by the rules because the e rules haveve to b changed.d. so w we have not come here to b the world leaders too care for our future. they have e ignored us s in thet and they will ignore us again. wewe have come here to lett the know t that change is coming whether they like it or not. the peopople will rise e to the challenge. and since our leadaders are behaviving like children, we wi have to take the responsibility they should have taken long ago. thank you. [applause] amy: that's greta thunberg, speaking at the u.n. climate summit in poland when she was 15 years old. as you watch this clip, greta, you were smiling. why? reta: it's always fun to see everyone. [laughter] greta: because i don't know just

the way i talk and the way i -- it isn't a pretty radical thing. it's a pretty y radical thing t say in front on the secretary general, the u.n. and i remember that speech because before, i had p preparea speech and my father read it through. and he was like you cannot say this. this is too radical. and you will embarrass yourself and you will embarrass everyone because you cannot say this. ok. hen i just say and i, and i cut it out. amy: what were you saying? greta: we cannot save the world by playing by the rules. i mean, or if it was the why should i be studying for a future that soon may be no more or something like that.

and i cut it out so that he would see it and be calm because he was very stressed. and then, of course, i m memorid that -- ththose sentetences andi said them anyway on the speech. amy: but you went on from polald and you just continued to adaddress morere and more global bodies or regional bodies like in april, when you addressed the european parliament where you urged lawmakers to respond as urgently to the climate crisis as they did when much of paris's notre dame cathedral burned. greta: yesterday, the world watched with despair and enormous sorrow how the notre dame burned in paris. some buildings are more than just buildings. but the notre dame will be rebuilt. i hope that its fououndations a

strong. i hopehat our foundations are even stronger. but i feel they are not. amy: so talk about that trip and how w you ended up there at the european parliament. greta: yes. i went there by train, of course. and i remember because that speech, i had to rewrite the night before because the night before was the evening before was when notre dame burned. and i thought i have to include that in the speech. so i had to sort of -- so it was a stressful night before to get that sorted. but it was -- and it was -- i remember i think it was that speech i cried during the speech

because it was so emotional with the things i was saying. i was talking about the loss of bio diversity and forests and the oceans and so on and i just suddenly became very sad. amy: let's go to this clip. greta: defeforestation o of our rainforest, toxic air pollution, , s of insects and wild life acidify indication of our oceans. these are all being accelerated -- that of life that we is part of our world seeing it in our eyes. carry on. [applause] greta: after that, i think i went to rome. yeah. amy: you mean you went to see the pope? greta: yeah, to rome and to the

italian senators to see the pope and, yeah. and then to london. amy: let's talk about visiting the pope and what that meant to you and what the pope has said about the climate crisis and what you said to him. greta: yes. i mean, he has been pretty outspoken about this. so i think that it's good that he's talking about this and he was very supportive. and he said d that i should continue doing this. so, yeah, it was incredible to meet him, of course. and i was very honored to have the chance to do that and to speak to him. amy: and when you give these speeches, who do you consult? i mean, when we saw you in poland, also on the show, we had

kevin anderson, the well-known climate scientist. frankly, he didn't want to come on with you because he said give greta all the time. she's much more important than i am. but you two sat together. do you speak with climate scientists? greta: i do, very often. i ask them for like advice and how should i phrase this and so so there won't be any misunderstanding in what i'm saying. and also to, i mean,n, they hel me a lot to make sure my speeches, to make sure all the facts are correct. and i can just -- if i wonder something,g, i can just e-mail someme of them or text. and then theyy often reply very quickly. so they are very helpful. amy: talk about the issue of climate justice and what that

means to you, greta. greta: well, i mean, you can explain it in different ways. but an incredibly important thing is those who have caused the climate crisis the most are those who often are going to be really affected and the opposite. those who have caused it, contributed to it the least are most likely the ones to be most affected. and that's what we must make sure that, of course that we can help these people. and that it is not so unfair in everything. amy: so greta thunberg, i want to talk about the movements, all over the world that you are very much a part of and are inspiring. when you went to britain, you spoke in the british parliament, but you also spoke at an extinction rebellion protest and we want to play a clip.

greta: we are now facing existential crisis. the climate crisis and ecological cririsis, which have never been treated as crisis before. they have been ignored for decades. and for wayy too lonong, the politicians and the people in power have gotten away with not doing anything a at all to figh the climate crisis and the ecological crisis.s. but we will make sure that they will not get away whitney longer. amy: greta, there you are, addressing a group at the extinction rebellion. that group was just really formulating when we were in poland. they were there in britain starting to superglue themselves to places like exxon/mobil headquarteters and other places. can you talk about the significance of this movement? greta: yes. i mean, the extinction rebellion

had really had massive impact, i think, on our debate, especially in europe. maybe not as much here. but they are using civil disobedience because they are saying like we won't give your attention, otherwise. and that is very effective. and so it is really incredible see what they are doing and that's along with friday for future and many other movements and environment movements, we workrk together very well. and that's, i think that we, together, have succeeded in making this a priority. it feels like people are slowly starting to wake up a bit more.

and it has become more important for people. the climate and ecological crisis. so i think that's, that is very good. of course it's not enough. of course it's way too slow but it's still, it's still something. amy: greta thunberg, the 16-year-old swedish climate activist who is demandnding acaction to o preve catastrophic clilimate change. when we come back she talks about the special boat she took to travel to the united ststates for the u.n. climate summit ater this month. stay with us. method to method to [music ♪ ak] ♪ music break]

amy: this is domestic violence. -- democracy now!. we return to my interview with greta thunberg, the 16-year-old swedish climate activist who has inspired millions across the globe after she launched a school strike for the climate, skipping school every friday to stand in front of the swedish parliament, demanding action to prevent catastrophic climate change. her protest has gone global and hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren around the globe have participated in their own, local school strikes for the climate. well, ahead of the un climate change summit later this month, greta recently arrived in new york after a two-week trans-atlantic voyage aboard a zero-emissions racing yacht. greta has refused to fly for years. i asked her to describe her journey. greta: i g got here onon a sail, emission-freree racace sailboat. and it was actually very -- a very good experience. i wish more people had the opportunity to do it because it was incredible. and you might think that it was scary and hard and rough. but it was -- i didn't feel like that at all. i was very lucky.

i didn't feel seasick at all during these two weeks. and we wentnt very fast. we hit 30 knots. i think two t times. and that was very fast for a sailing boat. amy: and what was it like being out at sea? i mean, this was completely new for you. describe the experience. most people never take a journey like this. greta: before i went on the sailboat, i didn't really have -- i i choose not have any expectations because i just thought that i, i just do it and enjoy it on the way. but it was actually not that bad . amy: you never got seasick? eta: nope. anit was just amazing to be in this wildernesess and to see e

wild lifife therere with so man dolphins and other wild life. and if it was calm, thehen duri the nights, you could see thehe stars very y clearly and you c d .ee the milkykyay yeah. so it was, it was -- it felt very good to be disconnected to not have contact with people satellite phone was on. amy: your sails, the sails on is boat, these blackckails sasaid in white letters "ununit behind the science." why did you choose that? greta: they gave me an opportunity like you can write something on the sail. we are making new sails.

so if you want, you can write something on them. and then i thought yeah. -- i don't know. i chose it because that is what i want people to do. i i want people to unite behind the science because i'm not -- all i am telling people to do now is to unite behind the science and that is what we have to realize that what is we have to do right now. amy: let me ask you about a "new york times" op-ed piece that was written by christopher caldwell. its headline e "the problemem w greta thunberg's climate activism. her radical approach is a odds with democracy." he writes "normally, miss thunberg would be unqualified to debate at a democratic forum. he ends his piece by saying

democracy often calls for waiting and seeing. patience may be democracy's cardinal virtue. climate change is a serious issue but to say we can't wait is to invite a problem just as grave, he says. greta thunberg, if you can respond to christopher caldwell. greta: there's nothing i can say to them. just unite behind the science. i'm not the one who is saying these things. i'm not the one we should be listening to. and i say that all the time. i say we need toill listening to the scientist. amy: and in the end, he says we have to wait. greta: yes, we have waited 30 years and we have been patience and waiting and seeing and in 30 years and i think it's time to actually realize the severity of the problem and to do something. amy: it may shock people to hear that you are getting slammed on twitter, also praised to the

heavens by millions of people. but what do you think that means when you get slammeded? greta:a: i mean, you could see in different ways. of course, it's sad that people spend that time doing this when they could be doing something good instead. but you can also see it as something positive, that it means that you have an impact, that these people feel like they feel threatened by you. and that means you have made a difference. and i think this movement has made a difference. otherwise, they wouldn't be spending their time trying to discredit us and to mock us. amy: i'd like to talk more about the attack on climate activist. i want to turn the u.n. high commissioner for human rights, the former president of chile. talking about the attacks on climate activists, including you. >> the office have noted attacks on environmental human rights defenders on virtually every

region, particularly in latin america. am region, particularly in latin america. i am disheartened by this violence. and also by the verbal attacks on young activists such as greta thunberg and others who governorize support of f their generation may bear. the demands made by environmental defenders are compelling. and we should respect, fulfill their rights amy: that's the u.n. high commissioner for human rights. she is the president of chile which will be host the u.n. climate summit, the top 25 in december where greta will be. it was going to be brazil. but they withdrew their invitation to host because of the far right climate change. greta, if you can talk about what michelle said. she singled you out, talking about climate activists and attacks on them but so m many climate activists feel under

siege and talk about your plans leading up p tohe top 25 u.n. summit as you make your way through the americas. greta: yes. ny climate and environmental activists are being attacked and they are being in some cases, even keeled. we so i'm not the one who should be focusing on in these cases. and it's just horrible that you are trying to stand up for something we -- that should be taken for granted. and living in a world and functioning climate and it's just unbelievable to see what some people have to go through. and, of course, i know many, activists,sts, young especially that are being attacked on the internet and are

being lied about and being mocked. sometimes by elected officials and by respected journalists. and i don't understand how you can attack someone like that and -- i mean, sometimes these activists get, they get sad because of -- that's, of course impacts them in a way that they feel like they cannot continue. and that is, of course, what they want, that is the goal of these attacks. so, i just, and the other activists who support, we support each other. we just have to comfort each other and to be there for each other and to say like don't care about these people because they, all they're doing is to -- their

goal is to waste your time and to make you tired of this and to make you want to stop because what you are doing is actually good. amy: you just recently tweeted that amazon workers, 900 of them, based in seattle, it's the first time ever. they're going to also strike on september 20. what does that mean to you? greta: to me and on the movement, it means incredibly much because we have lots of unions who are planning to strike. so, i mean, adults striking from their work and that is so incredibly positive to show that this is not just for children or teenagers. this is for everyone. and what we are doing, we are not, of course -- i mean, we are striking to disrupt the system, to create attention.

and i just hope that it will turn out well. amy: so let's talk about what you're doing in these coming days. you're heading down to washington, d.c., the nation's capitol on friday. what are your plans? that's friday, september 13. greta: yes. on friday, this friday, i'm going to join the school strike for the climate outside the white house in washington, d.c.. amy: do you protest every single week on f fridays? greta: yes. amy: wherever you are in the world? greta: even on the boat. every week, no matter write am, on fridays, i will protest and demonstrate for the climate. outside the parliaments or local government building or town hall or anyththing.

>> so on the 13th, you're doing it in front of the white house? greta: yes. amy: when you landed last week, you were on wed. friday, you within in front of the united nations with those who have been protesting for many weeks, almost a year. so then talk about the following week. september 20th. what your plans are and what people's plans are around the globe. greta: yes. on the 20th, we are planning a new global strike. and we call for people of all ages to join us. not just children, adults, of course, welcome as well, to trike from their work. the will be in new york on 20th of september to join the strike here.

and then on the 27th, there is also a global strike. amy: and then you head, eventually in december, to the u.n. climate summit in chile. talk about the journey you plan to take between september and december. greta: yes. in december, i am planning to go top 25 which nissan i can't goo. so it's quite a long way there from here. so i will have to make sure to leave on time and travel through the north and south american contininents and prorobably sair a bit which is too hard to travel. so, and then i will be there and i don't know exactly what i will be doing there, but i have been

nvited to speak there and then after that, we'll see what i'm doing. amy: and finally, your noach young people who don't vote but are finding their place in the world. what do you say to them? and you can look directly into the cam camera. greta: my message to the young people of the world is that right now, we are facing an existential crisis. i mean, the climate and ecological crisis, it will have a massive impact on our lives in the future, but also now, especially in vulnerable communities. and i think that we should wake up and we should also try to wake the adults up because they are the ones who their

generation is the ones who are mostly responsible for this crisis and we need to hold them accountable. we need to hold the people in power accountable for what they have been doing to us and future generations and other living species on earth. and we need to get angry and understand what is at stake. and then we need to transform that anger into action and to tand together, united and just never give up. amy: that's 16-year-old swedish clclimate activist greta thunbe in her first extended broadcast interview here in the united d states. she'll be protesting in front to the white house on friday and in new york. on monday, september 23, she will address the u.n. general assembly at the u.n. climate action summit and she will be at

the summit in chile. democracy now! will be there as well. that does it for our broadcast.