Greta Thunberg said at the opening of the Youth4Climate meet in Milan Tuesday that "we want climate justice, and we want it now".
The Swedish climate activist, 18, who launched the FridaysForFuture school strike protests three years ago to raise awareness of the climate crisis, said "we only hear words from world leaders, blah blah blah.
"Emissions are continuing to rise.
"We can reverse this trend, but drastic solutions will be needed.
"And since we don't have technological solutions, we must change ourselves.
"We can no longer let power decide what hope is.
"Hope is not something passive, it isn't blah blah blah.
"Hope means telling the truth, it means acting. And hope always comes to people." Thunberg said she expected "a lot of words" at the youth events linked to the PreCop26 session in the Lombard capital.
"I'm well, and I have the same expectations as many other meetings, many words," she said.
"The climate crisis is a symptom of a broader crisis, the social crisis of inequality, which comes from colonialism," Thunberg added.
"A crisis that stems from the idea that some people are worth more than others".
She said "we are moving fast in the wrong direction. Our leaders do not act voluntarily, and that is a betrayal. They can't say that they're doing it, because they continue to open coal mines and exploit deposits, without increasing funds for vulnerable countries. They select young people like us pretending to listen to us, but they don't. They have never listened to us".
At the end of her speech, Thunberg swapped slogans with the crowd saying "what do we want", to the reply "climate justice!" and adding "when do we want it", spurring the response "now!".
The Youth4Climate and Pre-COP26 event is set to last for five days and feature another young activist, Vanessa Nakate, as well as Ecological Transition Minister Roberto Cingolani and Education MInister Patrizio Bianchi.
Cingolani told the protesting youth Tuesday that "protests are useful but we must join forces".
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