Swedish teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg joins a protest by climate activist near UN headquarters on August 30, 2019, in New York. (Photo: Selcuk Acar/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Jan 22, 2020
After U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin at the World Economic Forum on Tuesday dismissed youth climate activist Greta Thunberg's call for global leaders to address the climate crisis by telling the teenager to come back to him after she "studies economics," Thunberg and other progressives including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hit back, calling attention to the environmental issues the secretary was trying to ignore.
"It doesn't take a college degree in economics to realize that our remaining 1.5deg carbon budget and ongoing fossil fuel subsidies and investments don't add up," tweeted Thunberg, linking to a video of a graph by the group Carbon Brief showing the catastrophic, continual rise in global emissions that has exacerbated the climate crisis.
\u201cMy gap year ends in August, but it doesn\u2019t take a college degree in economics to realise that our remaining 1,5\u00b0 carbon budget and ongoing fossil fuel subsidies and investments don\u2019t add up. 1/3\u201d— Greta Thunberg (@Greta Thunberg) 1579790380
"Either you tell us how to achieve this mitigation or explain to future generations and those already affected by the climate emergency why we should abandon our climate commitments," Thunberg added.
Mnuchin made his remarks on Tuesday morning, replying to a reporter's question on Thunberg's call for world economies to divest from fossil fuels.
"Is she the chief economist? Who is she? I'm confused," said Mnuchin. "After she goes and studies economics in college, she can come back and explain that to us."
Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, said the secretary's remarks were an example of how elites attempt to crush dissent.
"If you don't have an economics degree like Greta, they'll mock you for not having one," said Ocasio-Cortez. "If you DO have one, as I do, they'll claim it's illegitimate."
\u201cIf you don\u2019t have an economics degree like Greta, they\u2019ll mock you for not having one.\n\nIf you DO have one, as I do, they\u2019ll claim it\u2019s illegitimate.\n\nHaters gonna hate & deniers will deny. They will deny logic, science, and environmental consensus in order to protect oligarchy.\u201d— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1579793318
Eric Holthaus, climate reporter for the Correspondent, found Mnuchin's attack ridiculous on its face.
"You know who has college degrees?" said Holthaus. "The thousands of scientists of the IPCC who wrote the report Greta quoted from."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
After U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin at the World Economic Forum on Tuesday dismissed youth climate activist Greta Thunberg's call for global leaders to address the climate crisis by telling the teenager to come back to him after she "studies economics," Thunberg and other progressives including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hit back, calling attention to the environmental issues the secretary was trying to ignore.
"It doesn't take a college degree in economics to realize that our remaining 1.5deg carbon budget and ongoing fossil fuel subsidies and investments don't add up," tweeted Thunberg, linking to a video of a graph by the group Carbon Brief showing the catastrophic, continual rise in global emissions that has exacerbated the climate crisis.
\u201cMy gap year ends in August, but it doesn\u2019t take a college degree in economics to realise that our remaining 1,5\u00b0 carbon budget and ongoing fossil fuel subsidies and investments don\u2019t add up. 1/3\u201d— Greta Thunberg (@Greta Thunberg) 1579790380
"Either you tell us how to achieve this mitigation or explain to future generations and those already affected by the climate emergency why we should abandon our climate commitments," Thunberg added.
Mnuchin made his remarks on Tuesday morning, replying to a reporter's question on Thunberg's call for world economies to divest from fossil fuels.
"Is she the chief economist? Who is she? I'm confused," said Mnuchin. "After she goes and studies economics in college, she can come back and explain that to us."
Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, said the secretary's remarks were an example of how elites attempt to crush dissent.
"If you don't have an economics degree like Greta, they'll mock you for not having one," said Ocasio-Cortez. "If you DO have one, as I do, they'll claim it's illegitimate."
\u201cIf you don\u2019t have an economics degree like Greta, they\u2019ll mock you for not having one.\n\nIf you DO have one, as I do, they\u2019ll claim it\u2019s illegitimate.\n\nHaters gonna hate & deniers will deny. They will deny logic, science, and environmental consensus in order to protect oligarchy.\u201d— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1579793318
Eric Holthaus, climate reporter for the Correspondent, found Mnuchin's attack ridiculous on its face.
"You know who has college degrees?" said Holthaus. "The thousands of scientists of the IPCC who wrote the report Greta quoted from."
After U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin at the World Economic Forum on Tuesday dismissed youth climate activist Greta Thunberg's call for global leaders to address the climate crisis by telling the teenager to come back to him after she "studies economics," Thunberg and other progressives including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hit back, calling attention to the environmental issues the secretary was trying to ignore.
"It doesn't take a college degree in economics to realize that our remaining 1.5deg carbon budget and ongoing fossil fuel subsidies and investments don't add up," tweeted Thunberg, linking to a video of a graph by the group Carbon Brief showing the catastrophic, continual rise in global emissions that has exacerbated the climate crisis.
\u201cMy gap year ends in August, but it doesn\u2019t take a college degree in economics to realise that our remaining 1,5\u00b0 carbon budget and ongoing fossil fuel subsidies and investments don\u2019t add up. 1/3\u201d— Greta Thunberg (@Greta Thunberg) 1579790380
"Either you tell us how to achieve this mitigation or explain to future generations and those already affected by the climate emergency why we should abandon our climate commitments," Thunberg added.
Mnuchin made his remarks on Tuesday morning, replying to a reporter's question on Thunberg's call for world economies to divest from fossil fuels.
"Is she the chief economist? Who is she? I'm confused," said Mnuchin. "After she goes and studies economics in college, she can come back and explain that to us."
Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, said the secretary's remarks were an example of how elites attempt to crush dissent.
"If you don't have an economics degree like Greta, they'll mock you for not having one," said Ocasio-Cortez. "If you DO have one, as I do, they'll claim it's illegitimate."
\u201cIf you don\u2019t have an economics degree like Greta, they\u2019ll mock you for not having one.\n\nIf you DO have one, as I do, they\u2019ll claim it\u2019s illegitimate.\n\nHaters gonna hate & deniers will deny. They will deny logic, science, and environmental consensus in order to protect oligarchy.\u201d— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1579793318
Eric Holthaus, climate reporter for the Correspondent, found Mnuchin's attack ridiculous on its face.
"You know who has college degrees?" said Holthaus. "The thousands of scientists of the IPCC who wrote the report Greta quoted from."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.