Greta Thunberg, the planet’s most famous climate activist, rallied a crowd of young protesters outside Glasgow COP26 saying the politicians inside the conference were only "pretending to take our future seriously." 

True to the traditions of Scotland, she also led a sweaty chant directed to the world leaders attending (and not attending) COP26. A video of the 18-year-old campaigner showed her and fellow protestors singing: “You can shove your climate crisis up your arse!” 

Speaking to the crowd, Thunberg argued that real change will not come from the world leaders and policymakers giving their speeches inside the conference hall, but will be driven by activism and the climate justice movement outside.

“This COP26 is so far just like the previous COPs - and that has led us nowhere. They have led us nowhere,” she told the crowd on Monday, November 1. 

“Inside COP, they are just politicians and people in power pretending to take our future seriously, pretending to take... seriously the people that are being affected already today by the climate crisis,” Thunberg continued.

“Change is not going to come from inside there. That is not leadership - this is what leadership looks like,” she added.

“We say no more ‘blah blah blah,’ no more exploitation of people and nature and the planet... no more whatever the f*ck they are doing inside there!”

“We are sick and tired of it and we’re going to make the change, whether they like it or not,” she said.