Greta Thunberg to join Edinburgh International Book Festival event

Climate activist Greta Thunberg is take part in an event at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

The event, titled It’s Not Too Late To Change The World, will take place at the Edinburgh Playhouse on Sunday August 13 and will chaired by writer and broadcaster Gemma Cairney.

It will begin with a speech from Thunberg, followed by an in-depth conversation about her activism and her book The Climate Book.

The book, published last year, saw her call on the wisdom of more than 100 experts, from Indigenous leaders and renowned scientists to activists and people around the world who are most affected by climate change.

It will be Thunberg’s first public appearance in Scotland since her visit to Glasgow for COP26, the UN climate change conference, in November 2021.

Ms Thunberg, who inspired the youth climate strike movement with her one-person school protest starting in 2018, was not invited to formally address COP26 but took part in a rally with young activists demanding action to tackle climate change.

Nick Barley, director of the 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-focused strand of events at the book festival, which is presented in association with the Edinburgh International Festival.

Edinburgh Festival director Nicola Benedetti 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.”

Three hundred tickets to the event featuring Ms Thunberg will be made available to local community groups and young people, and a special half-price ticket will be offered to those aged under 26 to encourage them to become part of the climate conversation.

Tickets will be available to book online from 12pm on Wednesday June 7, at www.eif.co.uk/events/edinburgh-international-book-festival-greta-thunberg.