Emma Thompson Shows Support for Greta Thunberg’s Open Letter Demanding Climate Action
Emma Thompson, who portrays the role of Professor Sybill Trelawney in the Harry Potter films, isn’t shy about speaking up for what is right. Not only has she made her voice heard on how she believes climate change is a feminist issue, but she also wrote an op-ed for CNN last year in which she urged the United States government and citizens to start taking climate change seriously. It’s always amazing to see people like Thompson use their platform for good, and now she has shown her support once again by signing an open letter coauthored by one of the youngest climate change activists of our time.
You’ve probably heard of Greta Thunberg – she was named Time‘s Person of the Year in 2019 and is the youngest person to be given this title in the prestigious magazine’s history. That’s enough to make anyone sit up and take notice. Thunberg is a mere 17 years old and determined to change the world for the better in order to ensure a healthy planet for generations to come. In her latest endeavor, she is standing alongside her fellow climate change activists in urging the European Union and other global leaders to give their immediate attention to the climate change crisis and take action to solve this global issue.
The open letter, titled Face the Climate Emergency, is very straightforward: Global leaders need to treat climate change like the crisis it is. The letter lists demands like halting “all investments in fossil fuel exploration and extraction” and treating climate change like an actual emergency.
The letter goes on to urge leaders to realize that the current system that is in place to lower carbon emissions is not effective and that further action needs to be taken. It also accuses them of giving up on finding solutions.
The people in power today have so far practically already given up on the possibility of handing over a decent future for coming generations. They have given up without even trying.
The letter received a lot of attention, with many celebrities jumping in to sign it to show their support, including Emma Thompson and Simon McBurney, who voiced Kreacher in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1. Thunberg expressed her gratitude for the amazing reaction on Twitter, thanking those who signed it.
Amazing to see Malala, Leo DiCaprio, Priyanka Chopra, Shawn Mendes, Coldplay, Margaret Atwood, Ben Stiller, Emma Thompson, Annie Lennox, Ellie Goulding, Russel Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, The 1975, Juliette Binoche, Mark Ruffalo and many more sign and support us!
Sign & share below! https://t.co/io2rzT435l— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) July 16, 2020
It’s no surprise that Thompson is among those who signed the letter. In her op-ed for CNN last year, she said that “Everything depends on what we do now.” These words were repeated three times throughout the piece. She also urged global leaders to take action, because change needs to happen on a large scale. She added that the damage to the planet will become irreversible if people remained ignorant. Her views clearly align with the issues addressed in the letter, and it’s great to see her supporting this very important cause once again.
You can read the open letter and sign it here.