Hours after sharing a podium at climate talks with Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who earlier was named Time Person of the Year, the head of Greenpeace International on Wednesday found herself locked out of the COP25 talks along with hundreds of other observers.
Jennifer Morgan, who has been attending the UN negotiations for 25 years, said the expulsion was without precedent.
“This afternoon there was a peaceful protest outside of the plenary,” Morgan told reporters. “The protesters were abruptly and roughly moved out of the building. When I tried to get back in I found that the security had closed access to all observers.”
Photo: AFP / EVGENIA ARBUGAEVA FOR TIME
“We are the ones who can apply pressure and hold governments accountable,” Morgan said. “When we are not in the building, we are not able to do that.”
“I call on the [UN] Secretary-General [Antonio Guterres] to intervene here to make sure that youth and citizens around the world can engage and have their voices heard in these negotiations,” she said.
UN officials had no comment about the lockout.
More than 200 youth and indigenous rights activists were thrown out of the talks, which are to end today, after a protest demanding that nations take urgent action to avert “catastrophic climate change.”
Thunberg earlier accused rich countries of “misleading” people over climate action.
The UN climate forum has become an “opportunity for countries to negotiate loopholes and avoid raising their ambition” to act on climate, the 16-year-old told delegates and observers.
“Countries are finding clever ways around having to take real action,” she said.
Thunberg, who was awarded by Time magazine person of 2019 for her environmental campaigning, told negotiators that their vows were far from what was needed.
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