‘I'm always compared to Greta'

AUSSIE TEENAGER DAISY JEFFREY IS THE FACE OF THE MOVEMENT OF YOUNG PEOPLE FIGHTING BFOR ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE

- Jacqui Lang

Climate activist Daisy Jeffrey, 17, photographed at Sydney’s Barangaroo last year, says governments aren’t doing enough to tackle climate change.

Being Australia’s Greta Thunberg can have its drawbacks, admits Sydney teenager Daisy Jeffrey. Before the world was hit by COVID-19, the 17-year-old became one of Australia’s best-known climate change campaigners and, like the famous Swedish teen activist, she regularly takes to the stage in front of huge crowds, imploring politicians to do more to fight global warming.

“It can be nerve-racking to be up there talking to thousands,” Daisy tells WHO. “But I also feel empowered, talking about our goals: pushing for no fossil fuel projects like the Adani coal mine; for 100 per cent renewable energy generation by 2030, and for new jobs for all fossil fuel workers.”

But behind the scenes, Daisy admits she’s sometimes reduced to tears, despairing at “our government’s lack of commitment to reducing global emissions”. Then there’s the death threats and abuse from internet trolls, and the toll it takes on her study time in this, her final school year.

“Of course I worry when I see Daisy upset, or exhausted from the work, but she has her heart set on this cause, on wanting to make a difference,” her mother Annabel McGilvray, 47, says. “We’re extremely proud of her.”