London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

"Understand Frustration": UN Official On Greta Thunberg 'Blah Blah' Remarks

"Understand Frustration": UN Official On Greta Thunberg 'Blah Blah' Remarks

Niklas Hagelberg, Coordinator of UN Environment's sub-programme on Climate Change said, "I am also frustrated".
Environmental activist Greta Thunberg's recent remarks against world leaders on not doing enough on climate change are also leading to reactions from the United Nations. A senior official from UN Environment today said that he understands and resonates with Ms Thunberg's comments but it is a complicated subject and everybody needs to work harder to change the situation.

Niklas Hagelberg, Coordinator of UN Environment's sub-programme on Climate Change said, "I am also frustrated. By now the science has been clear for years. It has been clear for longer than I have lived on this planet and I am 47 years old. But it's a very complex issue that we are talking about. It is a common atmosphere so every emission goes into the same pot. It comes from everything - from our food systems to how we move around. I understand the "blah blah". I feel like that many times and we need to work harder. From individuals to private sector and governments, everybody needs to pull up their socks."

Mr Hagelberg made the remarks while responding to questions from a group of journalists from around the world, during a virtual address.

He also highlighted that unification towards the issue gets harder as each country comes to the table with its own interests. He said, "There is an Article called Article 8 under the Paris Agreement... Article 8 on "Loss and Damage" and its being negotiated. It is connected to the finance issue. It is currently being discussed but its turning out to be one of the most difficult things and I don't know if countries will be able to agree on it.

Each of these countries when they come for negotiation have a different position, different interests, different circumstances and it is difficult for them to find that common ground. I think that is what largely Greta with her "blah blah blah" comment referred to. That you all keep on talking. But the truth also is that one country maybe sinking, the other's GDP might be heavily dependent on fossil fuels, especially countries in the Middle East and it is an overhaul of their entire economy.

With some countries, 90 per cent of their GDP is dependent on fossil fuels. We as United Nations would never go out and say that a specific country is a problem but yes sharing of common ground is complex in nature."

Greta Thunberg had recently criticised global leaders over their promises to address the climate emergency and dismissed them as "blah, blah, blah" while she was giving a speech at the Youth4Climate summit in Milan on Tuesday.

She quoted statements by UK's Boris Johnson: "This is not some expensive, politically correct, green act of bunny hugging," and Prime Minister Narendra Modi: "Fighting climate change calls for innovation, cooperation and willpower".

Ms Thunberg then said, "Build back better. Blah, blah, blah. Green economy. Blah blah blah. Net zero by 2050. Blah, blah, blah". "This is all we hear from our so-called leaders. Words that sound great but so far have not led to action. Our hopes and ambitions drown in their empty promises. Of course we need constructive dialogue. But they've now had 30 years of blah, blah, blah and where has that led us? We can still turn this around - it is entirely possible. It will take immediate, drastic annual emission reductions. But not if things go on like today. Our leaders' intentional lack of action is a betrayal toward all present and future generations."
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×