Live to Lead (2022) s01e02 Episode Script

1
Greta Thunberg
is a Swedish climate activist
who reignited an international movement
to fight climate change
when she began demonstrating
outside the Swedish parliament in 2018.
In speaking for a new generation,
her brave campaigning is both
an inspiration and a stark reminder
that everything we do matters.
Then that is why we have to really make
a change in every way of our daily life.
I mean, not just about the environment
but the way we treat other people
and the way we see life.
This was inspired by Nelson Mandela,
who once said, "What counts in life
is not the mere fact that we have lived
it is what difference
we have made to the lives of others
that will determine
the significance of the life we lead."
His life
left a lasting mark on the world.
A legacy that has helped inspire
so many others to stand up
to fight for change
and to become leaders.
So this is in memory of Madiba.
It was made to remind us
of the difference one person can make.
It's about people
who have made brave choices.
Leaders who have walked alongside him
and followed in his footsteps.
Caring for others,
working for a better and more equal world.
And giving inspiration
to the rest of us
to live to lead.
You can't break me down
You can't take me down ♪
You can't take me down ♪
You can't break me down
You can't take me down ♪
My name is Greta Thunberg,
and I am from Sweden.
I live in Stockholm.
And I am a climate
and environmental activist.
And I think my concern
about the environment and the climate
began in school
when I was maybe eight or nine years old.
I heard these horrible stories,
what humans had done to the environment,
and what we were doing to the climate,
that the climate was changing.
If you look at
the ten hottest years ever measured,
they've all occurred in the last 14 years.
I saw these horrifying pictures.
And I just thought, "This is horrible."
"Why aren't we doing
everything we can to prevent this?"
I couldn't understand how we could
just continue not caring about this.
So I started to read about it
and to learn.
I talked to people, and I
I eventually understood
the seriousness of the crisis.
I tried to convince my parents
that this was actually happening.
They were in a bit of denial.
They were, like, "No, it's fine.
Someone will come up with something."
Just like everyone else,
they were, like, frequent fliers,
and they had huge carbon footprints.
I think they were
as far from activists as you can come.
But then I
I started talking about these things,
and I talked about it all the time,
and I just kept on going
and showing them graphs
and pictures and reports.
And they were like, "Yeah."
"Everything's gonna be fine."
And I just said,
"No, how can you say that?"
I became depressed.
I saw that everything was just so wrong.
And how I got out of that depression
was by thinking to myself,
"I can do so much.
One person can do so much."
And so I should try to do
everything I can to change things.
So I promised myself
that I was going to do
everything I could to try to stop this.
And so I started
school striking for the climate.
I was so desperate
that nothing was happening,
and I just felt like
someone needs to do something,
and that someone could be me.
So I just sat down,
and one thing
that makes you feel powerless is that you
you don't see anyone else who is
passionate about the same things.
And then, some people started to join me.
The second day
when I was striking, someone
joined me.
And then another one.
Before I started school striking,
I thought that young people,
we are just lazy,
and we don't care about anything
but ourselves and so on.
But then I was proven wrong.
And that was an amazing feeling.
I think everyone should have
the opportunity to get that feeling
that you are actually
capable of making a difference.
Because the step from one to two
is always the hardest,
and once you have passed that step,
you are not far from creating movement.
If you stand over there,
maybe we can take a picture.
The first thing I did
was to post on social media.
And it spread to a lot of people.
And then some journalists
started coming to me, where I sat.
There are many people out there
still who say
either climate change does not exist,
or if it does exist,
it's nothing to do with human activity.
What do you say to those people?
I don't say anything to those people. Um
I would just continue
referring to the science
and say that many people think
that climate change is an opinion.
But it's not an opinion. It's a fact.
You can't say, "I don't think
that the heart is pumping blood."
"I don't think so." It's a fact.
And then more journalists started coming,
and it became, like, a thing in Sweden.
It went viral.
And then it just got really big.
Then it started spreading
to other Swedish cities
and then to other countries.
Children started school striking.
- What do we want?!
- Climate justice!
And then to other continents.
And one tipping point
was when Australia started school striking
for the climate,
in November 2018,
and there were, like, tens of thousands
of children on the streets marching.
Climate justice
is our business!
And then it just
I don't know what happened.
When we live in fear
of an uncertain future.
Here's why, Sydney.
Let's show them today that we will not
There have been
school strikes in 165 countries
on all continents, including Antarctica.
I can see now that I'm not
I'm not the only one who cares about this.
- What do we want?
- Climate justice!
- When do we want it?
- Now!
- Whose future?
- Our future!
- Whose future?
- Our future!
What do we want?
This is very overwhelming,
and, uh, to just
never give up. We will we will continue.
How do you
personally overcome obstacles?
How did you get away with not going
to school on Fridays, for example?
It was a problem
in the beginning, definitely.
Both because of my parents
and my teachers,
who were always telling me,
like, "You have to go to school."
But then it just became a habit.
Did anyone say,
"Who do you think you are?"
Yes. All the time.
But I am very stubborn. So once I fully
When I am fully passionate
about something,
then I really commit to it.
And once I decide to do something,
I fulfill it.
- Is the microphone really on?
- Yes.
You're just very quiet.
- Did you hear me?
- Yes!
- Is my English okay?
- Yes!
Because I'm beginning to wonder.
The UK's active current support
of new exploitations of fossil fuels,
like, for example,
the UK shale gas fracking industry,
the expansion of the North Sea
oil and gas fields
the expansion of airports,
as well as the planning permission
for a brand-new coal mine
is beyond absurd.
There are tipping points,
and once we pass a certain point,
it might be too late
because then the Earth
starts warming itself.
And, for me,
I always want routines and schedules.
I want to know what happens.
And that, I think, is one of the most
scary parts about this climate crisis,
that we don't know
how the future looks like.
Anything could happen.
Do you feel this is
something you'll be doing for a long time?
Unfortunately, yes.
And "unfortunately" I say,
because that means
that not enough action is being taken.
I would love to stop
doing this because that will mean
everything is fixed.
But, unfortunately,
it doesn't work that way.
I am going to try
to take a sabbatical year from school,
to travel to different places,
to North and South America,
where I have received invitations
to several meetings.
And so I will have to try to get there
without flying if that is possible.
So do you have
guiding principles
that underpin what you're about?
You know, that gets you up in the morning.
I just say that I'm doing
what I think is right.
And I don't compromise.
I'm coming to the edge
Of the widest canyon ♪
And by the way,
it's supposed to be 70 degrees today.
It's freezing here.
Speaking of global warming, where is it?
We need some global warming!
There are people who want to
make people question the science.
I'm not that special.
I can't convince everyone.
And the mindset
of many people is changing,
even if that is not enough,
and even if it's not fast enough,
it's at least something.
So it's not for nothing.
Don't pretend you can't hear ♪
Don't pretend you can't ♪
Don't pretend you can't hear ♪
Don't pretend you can't ♪
Mr. President!
Thank you very much.
What do you regard
as the lowest depth of misery?
Hmm.
When you are too
too depressed to
to see that you, yourself,
actually matter, I think.
- And you've been there?
- Yes.
My message is that we'll be watching you.
This is all wrong.
I shouldn't be up here.
I should be back in school
on the other side of the ocean.
Yet you all come
to us young people for hope.
How dare you!
You have stolen my dreams
and my childhood with your empty words,
yet I'm one of the lucky ones.
People are suffering.
People are dying.
Entire ecosystems are collapsing.
We are in the beginning
of a mass extinction,
and all you can talk about is money
and fairy tales
of eternal economic growth.
How dare you!
For more than 30 years,
the science has been crystal clear.
How dare you continue to look away?
And come here saying
that you're doing enough,
when the politics and solutions needed
are still nowhere in sight.
You say you hear us
and that you understand the urgency.
But no matter how sad and angry I am,
I do not want to believe that.
Because if you really
understood the situation
and still kept on failing to act,
then you would be evil.
And that I refuse to believe.
You are failing us.
But the young people
are starting to understand your betrayal.
The eyes of all future generations
are upon you.
And if you choose to fail us,
I say we will never forgive you.
Young climate protesters
took to the stage after she finished.
But the national delegations,
who must agree to give up
fossil fuels and protect forests,
were barely present.
How did you find
the strength to overcome your depression?
It happened gradually.
But it was a lot thanks to
the climate and ecological crisis.
But I thought, "I need to do something,
and I can't just sit here," and so on.
So I think that was, both the thing
that got me depressed in the first way,
but also the thing
that got me out of that depression.
What makes you happy?
My dogs make me happy.
And, um
And, uh, when something is happening,
like when change is coming.
- Do you think they hear us?
- No!
We will make them hear us.
Yes!
To look through the Internet
and just see millions of children
who are school striking for the climate,
that makes me happy as well.
I think the world
needs more people who care
and who want to make a difference.
Because now people say
that this problem is too distant.
"It's not anything I can do,
and if it's anything I can do,
it's already too late."
That is one of the excuses I hear most.
That "I would love to get involved
in this, but I feel like I'm too late."
"I should have done it five years ago."
But it's never too late
to do as much as you can.
What people don't understand is that
today, it's so incredibly
few people, if you see it
from a bigger perspective,
who actually are fighting for this.
So if you start now,
then you are one of the first ones.
Have there been
particular individuals
that have inspired you along the way?
All the time, yes. Of course.
- Greta, it's Mishal Husain here.
- Hi.
Greta Thunberg is there,
ready to talk to you.
So it's my pleasure to introduce you both.
David Attenborough, Greta Thunberg.
Hi, it's very nice to meet you.
It's an honor to meet you.
And so I'm just very happy to
That we managed to arrange this.
The thing that made me open my eyes
for what was happening
with the environment and the climate was
was films and documentaries about
about the natural world
and what was happening, what was going on.
David, what would you say
to Greta about her work on climate
and what you think she's achieved?
She's achieved things
that many of us who have been
working on it for 20 odd years,
have failed to achieve.
That is, you have aroused the world.
- climate justice!
- When do we want it?
I am a part of a very large
group of people who have done it.
And you are definitely
a part of that group too.
Those individuals
who inspired me the most right now,
is those who are striking in countries
where they are not allowed
to protest and do these things.
And they do it anyway.
That is so moving and inspiring.
Climate justice!
Leadership means that you
you dare to take decisions
that are for the greater good.
And that you dare to be uncomfortable
and say uncomfortable things if necessary.
And I honestly don't understand
how the people in power
can continue like now.
How they can
look their children in the eyes
while they are stealing their future.
And to not only see yourself.
If you had the power
to make real change, what would you do?
I would make people not greedy, maybe.
And make people realize that
this is actually something
that is happening.
And it's because of us.
Because I think that once people
fully understand, they will change.
We need to start treating
the crisis as a crisis
because we can't solve an emergency
without treating it as an emergency.
We must change almost everything
in our current societies.
The bigger your carbon footprint is,
the bigger your moral duty.
The bigger your platform,
the bigger your responsibility.
Adults keep saying,
"We owe it to the young people
to give them hope."
But I don't want your hope.
I don't want you to be hopeful.
I want you to panic.
I want you to feel
the fear I feel every day.
And then I want you to act.
I want you to act
as you would in a crisis.
I want you to act
as if the house was on fire
because it is.
If enough people are pushing for change,
then that change will happen.
So last question.
What is your hope for your generation?
I hope that my generation
will be
very pushy and very
Actually annoying.
We need a revolution! No more pollution!
That we will annoy
the older generation so much
that they will
have to do something.
Because, I know
that I will never stop doing this.
Um, and I just hope
that others feel the same,
so that we together can
can turn over the older generation.
A year and a half ago, I didn't speak
to anyone, unless I really had to.
But then I found a reason to speak.
I have a dream that people in power,
as well as the media,
start treating this crisis
like the existential emergency it is.
In fact, I have many dreams.
But this is not
the time and place for dreams.
This is the time to wake up.
This is the moment in history
we need to be wide awake.
It is time to face the reality.
The facts. The science.
And the science doesn't mainly speak of
great opportunities to create
the society we always wanted.
It tells of unspoken human sufferings,
which will get worse and worse,
the longer we delay action.
And yes, we do need hope.
Of course we do.
But the one thing
we need more than hope is action.
Once we start to act, hope is everywhere.
So instead of looking for hope,
look for action.
Then, and only then, hope will come.