Greta Thunberg Says Science Shows Joe Biden Not Doing Enough on Climate Change

Greta Thunberg has said President Joe Biden is not doing enough to combat climate change.

The Swedish climate activist, who encouraged her social media followers to vote for Biden in 2020, said the president's current climate policies are not in line with efforts to keep global temperatures below 1.5 degrees Celsius—a crucial global warming benchmark set by the Paris climate conference.

Thunberg was asked how she would rate Biden's climate action policies so far in an interview with MSNBC on March 8.

She said: "Well, you shouldn't take that from me, I'm just a teenager, so I don't have the mandate to sort of give grades like that. My opinion on this doesn't matter.

"You should rather look at the science and whether his policies are in line with perseverance and to stay below 1.5 or even 2 degrees Celsius, and then you can clearly see that, no, it's not nearly enough in line with the science.

"I understand that it's difficult and to be honest I would not want to be in a politician's position right now—I can't imagine how hard it must be. But I would just like him to treat the climate crisis like a crisis."

Biden published an executive order outlining his administration's climate goals on January 27. It states policies such as ensuring the U.S. has a net-zero emissions economy by 2050 and ensuring the U.S. has a pollution-free electricity sector by 2035.

However, NBC News reports the president has come under pressure from organized labor groups since his environmental policies also involve phasing out industries that are associated with pollution.

Robert Pollin, an economics professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, told the outlet: "Laying a pipe or becoming a coal miner, those weren't always good jobs. They became good jobs because of decades of organizing."

The report states industries such as wind and solar may not be able to grow rapidly to replace coal and gas if they are also forced to provide equal worker benefits and union wages.

Thunberg also told MSNBC she found it "hilarious" when world leaders such as former president Donald Trump criticize her.

She said: "You need to be able to laugh at these things, because it is hilarious! To see such powerful people go after you, it really shows that you are having an impact. They wouldn't do it if you weren't a threat to them, so that you should take as a compliment."

Trump tweeted in December 2019 that Thunberg had an "anger management problem" and advised the climate activist to "chill."

He also tweeted in September that year, sarcastically: "She seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see!" Thunberg hit back with a similar comment when Trump left the White House after losing the presidency to Biden in January.