Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg appeared on the “Ellen Show” last Friday. Thunberg discussed Trump and the need to think differently about the ongoing climate crisis.
The 16-year-old activist said that she has made several personal changes to lower her carbon footprint. She told host Ellen DeGeneres that these included veganism, not flying, and no longer buying new things unless she absolutely has to.
Thunberg told DeGeneres that she would not meet U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss the climate crisis if asked. “I don’t understand why I would,” she said. “I don’t see what I could tell him that he hasn’t already heard and I just think it would be a waste of time really.”
The teenage advocate also talked about Aspergers and how she believes being on the autistic spectrum is a gift. She suggested that being on the spectrum can help people “think outside the box.” It’s something she also believes is important when talking about the environment.
‘What You Can Do to Make a Difference’
DeGeneres is also an environmental and animal advocate and has praised the benefits of a plant-based diet. She currently runs a gorilla conservation group, called “The Ellen Fund,” with her wife, actress Portia de Rossi.
DeGeneres ended Friday’s interview by revealing a new section on her YouTube channel inspired by Thunberg.
“We’ll have information and resources to help educate people on climate change. You can learn how to reduce your carbon footprint and see what you can do to make a difference,” said DeGeneres. She thanked Thunberg and said that her work is the “loudest voice.”
Celebrity Support
Including DeGeneres, Thunberg has a great deal of celebrity support and recently met fellow climate change activists Arnold Schwarzenegger and Academy Award winner Leonardo DiCaprio. The actor referred to Thunberg as a “leader of our time.”
Thunberg is still shocked she’s become such a celebrity in her own right. “I would never have expected that something like that would happen.”
“I just thought I need to do whatever I can do, and it’s obviously not going to be enough, but at least it’s something.” She says it was something she just needed to do for herself, “so I could look myself in the eye in this crisis.”
