Environmental activist Greta Thunberg has deleted a 2018 tweet saying that climate change would ‘wipe out humanity’ unless the world ceased using fossil fuels by 2023.
The Swedish campaigner had tweeted an article by gritpost.com detailing Harvard University professor James Anderson‘s warning that humanity would cease to exist if use of fossil fuels was not stopped within five years.
Thunberg’s now erased post stated: ‘A top climate scientist is warning that climate change will wipe out all of humanity unless we stop using fossil fuels over the next five years.’
The article on gritpost.com – whose website no longer exists – quoted Anderson, an atmospheric chemistry expert, where he argued there would be ‘essentially zero’ ice left in the Arctic by 2022.
It is unknown when exactly the tweet was deleted, but it was captured by internet archive Wayback Machine last week on March 7, just before 10pm.
Thunberg (pictured) tweeted an article by gritpost.com detailing Harvard University professor James Anderson’s warning that humanity would cease to exist if use of fossil fuels was not stopped within five years
One user asked: ‘It’s been five years GT, what’s up?’
Another wrote: ‘Is this the afterlife? I thought it’d be… better.’
A third wrote: ‘Why are we still here?’
Many high-profile conservatives have been quick to taunt the environmentalist over the apparent gaff – something Thunberg is not averse to after past run-ins with Andrew Tate and Donald Trump.
Charlie Kirk, the founder of right-wing group Turning Point USA tweeted: ‘One of the best headlines of the year so far… ‘Greta Thunberg deletes 2018 tweet saying world will end in 2023 after world does not end.”
Conservative film maker Dinesh D’Souza also tweeted: ‘Climate Radical Greta Thunberg Caught Red Handed: Deletes 2018 Tweet That Says World Will End Without Action by 2023.’
The article in question did not say humanity will be wiped out in five years, nor quotes Anderson as saying this, however.
Despite this, other users questioned other aspects of the article’s argument.
Harvard’s James Anderson was quoted by the gritpost.com article as stating: ‘The chance that there will be any permanent ice left in the Arctic after 2022 is essentially zero.’
