Vegan Activist Greta Thunberg Wants Us to Save the Planet Like Notre Dame

This week, 16-year-old vegan environmentalist Greta Thunberg spoke at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, and asked leaders to exert the same effort to help save the planet as they did to help Notre Dame Cathedral recover after its devastating fire. “Our house is collapsing and time is running short, and nothing is happening,” Thunberg said. “We need to think as if we were building a cathedral. I beg you not to fail.” Referring to the international fundraising effort to rebuild Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, she told politicians to use “cathedral thinking” to fight climate change. “Yesterday, the whole world witnessed with sadness and despair the fire at Notre-Dame de Paris, but Notre-Dame will be rebuilt,” Thunberg said. “I hope it has strong foundations and I hope we have strong foundations, but I’m not so sure.” The activist—who is known for protesting against climate change outside the Swedish Parliament—convinced her family to go vegan and give up air travel after learning about the damaging environmental effects of consuming animal products and burning fuel. Last month, the teenager was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for her work fighting for world action against climate change.