BORIS Johnson went full Greta Thunberg today as he blasted “reckless elders” for taking away the “futures” of young people.
But he vowed that the upcoming COP26 eco summit could be the beginning of the end of climate change if the world pulls together now.
And in a world-first, Britain will now force businesses bidding for Government contracts to commit to achieving net zero green goals.
In a furious blast at his own generation for failing to get a grip on saving the planet soon enough, he said in an echo of the young eco-warrior: “Young people around the world are already paying the price for the reckless actions of their elders.”
Taking a leaf from Greta’s book ahead of his own summit, he told the pre-COP youth conference in Milan today that they have “every right to be angry” about the dire state of the world.
He said: “Hundreds of millions of you are facing rising seas, failing crops, burning forests, and evermore ferocious storms, daily challenges that lead to lost opportunity.
“And your future is literally being stolen before your eyes.”
It echoes Swedish student Greta’s furious 2019 speech where she raged at world leaders: “You all come to us young people for hope. How dare you.
“You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words.”
The Milan summit also saw clashes between police and climate activists -and the PM insisted he understood their anger.
Mr Johnson said: “I saw the protesters earlier on. And frankly, you have every right to be angry with those who aren’t doing enough to stop it.
“It will be the people in the audience, it will be your generation, young people, who are left to deal with the consequences if we should fail.”
And he called on them to keep nagging politicians and business chiefs to do more to “turn this thing around” and “hit the brakes” on a global disaster.
If significant changes are agreed on coal, cars, cash and trees, COP26 would mark “the beginning of the end of climate change”, he claimed.
It comes just days after the international activist-in-chief mocked the PM’s “build back better” and net zero vows as “blah, blah, blah” and insisted they were words, not actions.
Boris has been rallying nations to fill the £100billion international pot to help poorer countries go greener, alongside stopping new coal power stations and swapping over to eco-cars.
Summit chief Alok Sharma said it was time for gas-guzzling China and other nations to step up with fresh green goals now, saying “the ball is in their court”.
Hundreds of young people are working on a bumper package of measures to hand over to world leaders to urge them to get a grip on their plans to stop the world burning before it’s too late.
The PM will host world leaders including US President Biden in Glasgow next month.
