Greta Thunberg is being overshadowed by a new kid in town who stole her thunder during a passionate speech outside COP26.
The teenager campaigner listened in awe and then saw the 12-year-old climate change kid who has faced death threats in his home country in South America given a hero’s reception.
Francisco Vera Manzanares (12 years old) from Colombia kept his pontifications civil, unlike Greta, who launched a four-letter rant.
Through an interpreter Francisco Vera Manzanares, 12, from Colombia said: ‘I’m an activist from Colombia. I’m 12 years old and I’ve created a movement with my friends and I defend the environment in Colombia’
He stood out among the crowd when he gave a passionate speech about why he traveled to Glasgow for a fringe event at climate change conference.
Thunberg, 18, looked on as he made his speech on the banks of the River Clyde at a ‘Fridays For Future’ rally to raise awareness for the plight of black and indigenous people affected by global warming.
With the city’s iconic Finnieston crane, a reminder of Glasgow’s industrial past, in the background, little Francisco, whose voice has yet to break, spoke of his reason for coming to Scotland.
Greta Thunberg was outstaged by Francisco, a new kid on the block who stole her thunder outside of COP26 with a passionate speech
Through an interpreter, the new kid on the block said: ‘I’m an activist from Colombia. I’m 12 years old and I’ve created a movement with my friends and I defend the environment in Colombia.
‘This is really important for us and we’re here because we are from the global south and the voices of the children need to be heard.
“We also need to participate in the decision-making process, because it is our future and our present.
‘We are also demanding that the decision-making leaders from the world should take real action.
“No more empty promises, because we are tired listening to empty promises.
Thunberg had looked on as Francisco Vera made his speech on the banks of the River Clyde at a ‘Fridays For Future’ rally
‘In our country we are seeing the devastation of the climate crisis.
‘We are here because we need to be united. We don’t have barriers. The frontiers are just an imaginary line.’
Francisco received death threats anonymously via Twitter in January after the young environmentalist demanded better education for children during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The news caused outrage in Colombia, and was featured in headlines all over the world.
President Iván Duque pledged to find the ‘bandits’ that sent the message but nobody has been arrested.
Thunberg was expected to take the stage following Francisco, but after receiving loud applause and cheers she decided to not.
She later stood beside Francisco close to a banner which read: ‘No More Blah Blah Blah, Your Greed Our Fears.’
Earlier, she had claimed Glasgow’s COP26 is a charade.
She insisted leaders taking part in the official conference are ‘pretending’ to take the future of the planet seriously.
With US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Boris Johnson arriving in the city for talks, the Swedish activist spoke out at an earlier ‘Fridays for Future’ fringe event at which she claimed politicians have no interest in creating real change.
Thunberg earlier insisted leaders taking part in the official conference are ‘pretending’ to take the future of the planet seriously
She said: ‘This COP26 is so far just like the previous COPs and that has led us nowhere. They have taken us nowhere.
‘Inside COP there are just politicians and people in power pretending to take our future seriously, pretending to take the present seriously of the people who are being affected already today by the climate crisis.
‘Change is not going to come from inside there. This is leadership. This is what leadership looks like.’
Thunberg, who wasn’t invited to participate in COP26, marched through the city, before joining activists from all over the world who spoke on the banks the River Clyde about their hopes for change.
Francisco then took her place, drawing cheers and applause when he spoke of his reason for moving to Scotland.
The heads of 120 countries arrived for the talks, including French President Emmanuel Macron but Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping snubbed the conference.
The two-week-long climate conference will be attended by approximately 25,000 people in the UN-controlled blue area on the north side the River Clyde.