Seventeen-year-old Brittany Trilford, a student from Wellington, in my country of New Zealand, addressed Heads of State gathered in Rio de Janeiro at the opening of the Summit UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has called “one of the most important conferences in the history of the United Nations and a once-in-a-generation opportunity to gear the world on sustainable development path.”
The Summit was opened by the Secretary-General at 10h00 local Rio time, in the wake of six months of negotiations that have resulted in weak and disappointing text for Leaders to consider at the conference. First on the agenda was a film entitled “The State of the Planet”, following which Brittany was called to the podium to deliver her address as an ordinary citizen, a voice of youth, demanding action on sustainability.
During the opening of her three minute address Brittany told leaders, “I stand here with fire in my heart. I’m confused and angry at the state of the world. We are here to solve the problems that we have caused as a collective, to ensure that we have a future.”
In the hope that the high level Summit will make more ambitious commitments than the negotiated text calls for, Brittany said, “We, the next generation, demand change. We demand action so that we have a future and have it guaranteed. We trust that you will, in the next 72 hours, put our interests ahead of all other interests and boldly do the right thing.”
She challenged leaders to strive for solutions that will inspire hope around the world. “I am here to fight for my future. That is why I’m here. I would like to end by asking you to consider why you are here and what you can do here. I would like you to ask yourselves: Are you here to save face? Or are you here to save us?”
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
In addition to addressing world leaders, Brittany has already silenced large gatherings of decision makers, including over 300 legislators here in Rio from around the world at the first Global Legislators Forum on June 16 and over 1,000 business leaders at the closing plenary of the Corporate Sustainability Forum on June 17. She will participate in a panel discussion on June 21 at the Global Town Hall and will ring the Peace Bell that same day at the Federation of World Peace and Love with Severn Suzuki, known as “the girl who silenced the world” since addressing leaders in a similar way at the 1992 Earth Summit.
Kelly Rigg, Executive Director of Global Campaign for Climate Action, organizers of the contest says “With youth accounting for 3 billion of the world’s population, it is critical that young people from all walks of life are engaged in influencing global decision-making on sustainability now – they will live with the building blocks or the broken promises, depending on the choices leaders make.”
Replies
Sigh.....This is not the positive thing you think it is. This is another propaganda scheme by the dark cabal targeted to BRAINWASH more youth about the "harmful effects" of man made global warming or the new phrase word "climate change".
This brainwashing propaganda movement is not about cleaning the toxins and radiation from our oceans or air or food, you know, the things that really matter. Instead it blames humans for the the earth changes that are happening, which is really happening because mother earth is shifting into a higher vibration, and says humans are bad and should be eliminated to save earth. This is exactly the opposite of the kind of thing we want, not good. These brainwashed youth are in for a MAJOR wake up call when they find out they have been suckered into a web of lies and deceit.
To Sheldon Christensen: I agree with you 100%.