Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg is coming to the Edinburgh International Book Festival in August, it was announced today.
Thunberg will speak at the Edinburgh Playhouse on Sunday 13th August as part of the Book Festival event, presented in association with the Edinburgh International Festival.
The event titled It’s Not Too late to Change the World will begin with a speech from Thunberg, followed by a talk about her activism and The Climate Book. The event will be chaired by writer and broadcaster Gemma Cairney.
The 2022 publication draws on the expertise and insights of more than one hundred experts from Indigenous leaders, scientists, engineers, economists, activists and people from around the world who are most affected by climate change.
Thunberg, who first came to prominence with the Fridays For Future (FFF) climate strike in 2018 and 2019, aims to equip us all with the knowledge we need to combat climate disaster.
She has said: “Hope is not something that is given to you, it is something that you have to earn, to create. It cannot be gained passively by standing by and waiting for someone else to do something. Hope is taking action. It is stepping outside of your comfort zone.”
This will be Greta’s Thunberg’s first public appearance in Scotland since her visit to Glasgow for COP26, the UN’s climate conference in November 2021.
Nick Barley, Director of Edinburgh international Book Festival, said: “Nobody speaks truth to power quite like Greta Thunberg: her words and actions have given hope to countless young activists. This is a rare opportunity to spend time in the presence of a young woman whose conviction and defiant energy is a source of inspiration to millions across the globe. We are honoured to welcome Greta to Edinburgh International Book Festival.”
It’s Not Too Late to Change the World will be part of a climate-focussed strand of events at this year’s Edinburgh international Book Festival, with full details to be announced alongside the full programme on 14 June.
As part of the event, the EIBF said 300 tickets will be made available to local community groups and young people and a special concessionary ticket price of 50% off will be made available to those under 26 to encourage them "to become a part of the climate conversation".
Nicola Benedetti, Festival Director of Edinburgh International Festival said: "We are deeply grateful to Greta Thunberg for joining us as she is one of the most prominent environmental activists of our time and is uniquely positioned to address the underlying question of this year's International Festival programme, 'where do we go from here?'. Greta has helped to galvanise a global movement for climate action, and we are proud to feature her as part of the Edinburgh International Festival."
Tickets for It’s Not Too Late to Change the World will be available to book online from 12 noon on Wednesday 7 June.