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The treasury secretary of Donald Trump, Steven Mnuchin has followed the U.S president in taking a swipe at Greta Thunberg. He suggested the teenage climate activist should study economics at university before she offers advice on how to tackle global warming. Mnuchin questioned Thunberg after she called for public and private sectors to divest from fossil fuels. He was speaking at the Davos summit. He said, “Is she the chief economist? Who is she? I’m confused. After she goes and studies economics in college, she can come back and explain that to us”. Point to be noted that Thunberg has taken a year out of school to campaign globally for climate action.

Thunberg responded in a tweet and said, “My gap year ends in August, but it doesn’t take a college degree in economics to realize that our remaining 1,5° carbon budget and ongoing fossil fuel subsidies and investments don’t add up. So either you tell us how to achieve this mitigation or explain to future generations and those already affected by the climate emergency why we should abandon our climate commitments”. The comments of Mnuchin came following the clash between the teenage activist and the U.S President over the climate record of Trump administration at the World Economic Forum. Trump also criticized the teenager’s rejection and made remarks about her age.

Trump alleged Thunberg of being Prophets of Doom. She said in Davos that the President was fueling the flames of the climate crisis. The U.S President was criticized for his decision to pull the United States out of the Paris climate change agreement. The treasury secretary said in a press briefing in Switzerland that the move had been misinterpreted. He claimed the president has repeatedly mentioned man-made climate change as a hoax and he absolutely believes in environmentalism. Mnuchin said, “What the president objects to, is the Paris agreement, because he thought it was an unfair agreement for the United States. This is not the doom and gloom issue that is going to impact everybody over the next 10 years”.