Greta Thunberg showed the world what it means to lead | Michael H Fuchs

The climate activist from Sweden was the star of the UN climate summit. Her remarks reminded us what leadership, courage and sacrifice look like

At the 2019 annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations, a 16-year-old climate activist took the mantle of global leadership usually reserved for the US president.

Donald Trump's decision to not participate in the UN climate summit illustrated just how devastatingly Trump's climate-denying policies have undermined America's role in the world as a force for good, and how his actions could contribute to the destruction of the futures of countless billions. Meanwhile, Greta Thunberg called him - and other world leaders - out for their malign neglect in failing to address the single most existential threat humanity faces, while revealing the energy with which a new generation of leaders is determined to act.