Karl Stefanovic rips into 16-year-old climate change activist Greta Thunberg

Greta Thunberg made the whole world sit up and listen when she delivered a powerful speech on climate change at the UN Climate Action Summit on Monday.

The 16-year-old scolded politicians and leaders for failing to act sooner and ‘stealing her dreams and childhood with their empty words’ about combatting the effects of global warming.

But one person who wasn’t impressed with the 16-year-old is former Today show host Karl Stefanovic, who let loose at the teenager on 2GB on Wednesday afternoon.

“I really do feel for her in the respect that she’s not being looked after, she’s got a lot of pressure on her, and I mean everyone can say, if that was my kid, she wouldn’t be in that situation but the problem is, whoever is behind her, the parents who are behind her or whoever’s managing her, she is being managed and her stance is being used by activists,” the 45-year-old TV presenter said.

He went on to say that she does have an impact on other children and “we’re seeing our kids very distressed about the prospective changes to climate and that only adds to their burden and adds to their stress.”

Karl continued, referencing former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s comments on Tuesday, where he said Greta’s speech encapsulated “the anger of that generation and does so effectively”.

“It might insult a whole lot of middle-aged white guys, because it is not the way that we would talk, or we think that it is inappropriate for a young girl to speak that way, but when I speak to young people around the world, whether it is in China, here in the United States or back home in Australia, frankly there is a rising rage that our generation has failed to step up to the plate,” Kevin Rudd said told the ABC.

The This Time Next Year host isn’t the only prominent personality to slam Greta’s impassioned UN speech, with former AFL player, Sam Newman, also getting riled up about it on Twitter.

“This annoying little brat addressed the UN on the so-called climate crisis. WHO lets this s**t have a platform? Mendacious, inbred sycophants, that who. #ClimateChangeHoax,” he wrote.

Greta Thunberg’s UN speech

However, Greta supporters everywhere have been praising the young woman for bravely addressing world leaders at the UN with her inspiring speech.

“People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money, and fairytales of eternal economic growth. How dare you?,” Greta said.

“You are failing us. But the young people are starting to understand your betrayal. The eyes of all future generations are upon you. And if you choose to fail us, I say: We will never forgive you. We will not let you get away with this. Right here, right now is where we draw the line. The world is waking up. And change is coming, whether you like it or not. Thank you.”

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