Climate activist Nakate seeks immediate action in Glasgow

MILAN (AP) — Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate said Wednesday that youth delegates meeting in Milan want to see immediate action from leaders at the U.N. climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland — not cheap, last-ditch grasps at polluting fuels before getting down to business.

Nakate is among 400 activists invited to Italy’s financial capital for a three-day Youth4Climate meeting that will draft a document to forward to the 26th Climate Change Conference of the Parties, which opens on Oct. 31.

“If leaders and governments are going to talk about net zeroes or cutting emissions, halving emissions by 2030 or 2040 or 2050, that means it has to start now,″ Nakate told The Associated Press.

”It doesn’t mean, if we are going to do it by 2030, between now and 2030 let’s open a coal power plant, you know, let’s frack some gas, or let us construct an old pipeline. That is not the real climate action that we want,'' she said. “”If you are to go net zero by 2030 it has to start now.''

Though the activists have traveled to Milan from 180 countries, Nakate said many have the feeling like their suggestions for the final draft that will be published on Thursday are not welcome. She said the dynamic was “concerning.”

“It really feels like everything has been decided for us,'' Nakate, a 24-year-old with a degree in business administration. Swedish activist Greta Thunberg similarly accused the organizers on Tuesday of bringing in “cherry-picked” delegates and pretending to listen.

But she said young people were speaking up, and had created their own working group on fossil fuels.

"Hopefully it's something they can accept,'' she said.

Nakate gave an emotional opening speech to the gathering on Tuesday, calling out leaders for failing to meet financial conditions and describing the...