Activist Thunberg denounces "clever accounting" in climate fight

Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg accused political and business leaders of looking for loopholes to polish their image in the fight against climate change at a United Nations summit on Wednesday. "It seems to have turned into some kind of opportunity for countries to negotiate loopholes and to avoid raising their ambition," the 16-year-old Swede told the meeting in Madrid, drawing applause.

"I still believe the biggest danger is not inaction, the real danger is when politicians and CEOs are making it look like real action is happening when in fact almost nothing is being done apart from clever accounting and creative PR." Politicians in Madrid are grappling with outstanding issues in the implementation of the 2015 Paris Agreement, which aims to avert catastrophic global warming.