A Swedish schoolgirl has achieved worldwide fame because six months ago she stood outside her own Parliament protesting about climate change.

Since then she has become an icon of the movement, has addressed the UN, has met the Pope, and may yet get a Nobel Prize.

Last week Greta Thunberg spoke to our MPs in London on the UK failure to face up to the future, and to move to sustainable energy.

She said: “The UK’s active current support of new exploitation of fossil fuels – for example, the UK shale gas fracking industry, the expansion of its North Sea oil and gas fields, the expansion of airports, as well as the planning permission for a brand new coal mine – is beyond absurd.”

Barack Obama has supported the young activists saying: “You wouldn’t let your grandparents decide what music you listen to, or what clothes you wear.

“Why let them decide what world you will live in. Things change when we strongly mobilize. Our planet on which we live is in danger.

We can’t succeed by sitting back and waiting for someone else to do it.”

We must listen to these concerns, and act now.

Our pollution and our current emissions are no legacy to hand to our grandchildren to resolve.

This month’s report by UK Research and Innovation, shows ‘widespread public support for transition to a low-carbon, reliable, and affordable energy system’.

The public want energy companies to develop sustainable power, and quickly.

But the people that run the oil and gas giants are making huge profits, so why should they want any changes?

Our banks, our unit trusts and our pension funds must stop investing in all oil and gas companies who put their profits before our future.

They should use their investment power to support the growth of sustainable energy companies.

Dave Plunkett Chester