Obama urges youth to ‘stay angry and frustrated’ and push harder on climate as ‘time running out’

Former US President spoke out at COP26 summit in Glasgow, urging youngsters to channel their feelings to meet challenges

He also encouraged activists to listen more and try to understand those who seem reluctant to see fast action on climate change or take action themselves

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Former US President Barack Obama speaks during the COP26 UN Climate Summit in Glasgow, Scotland, on November 8. The summit is in its second week with leaders from around the world gathered to try to address the common challenge of global warming. Photo: AP

Published: 3:31am, 9 Nov 2021Updated: 3:31am, 9 Nov 2021

Former US President Barack Obama has returned to the international spotlight in Glasgow, urging young people to pressure their leaders to do more to combat climate change.

Agreeing with youth campaigners, Obama said “time is really running out.”

“You are right to be frustrated,” he said on November 8. “Folks in my generation have not done enough to deal with a potentially cataclysmic problem that you now stand to inherit.”

“I want you to stay angry. I want you to stay frustrated. Channel that anger, harness that frustration, keep pushing harder and harder for more because that’s what required to meet this challenge.”

He also urged climate activists to “do a little more listening” to those reluctant to take action, telling delegates it would not be enough to “inconvenience (sceptics) by blocking traffic in a protest”, and that work should be done to understand why normal people do not want to see such fast action on climate change.

Protesters from the climate change group Extinction Rebellion demonstrate at the COP26 conference in Glasgow on November 8. Photo: AFP

Groups including Extinction Rebellion and Insulate Britain have been criticised for blocking traffic in protests they have used to draw attention to the effects of climate change and the environmental impact of inefficient heating.