Greta Thunberg glares at Donald Trump arriving at United Nations after scolding international politicians over climate change

The 16-year-old activist's reaction to the world's most powerful climate change denier seems to speak volumes

A clip showing climate activist Greta Thunberg giving Donald Trump an ice-cold glare has gone viral, just after the Swedish 16-year-old told the United Nations that the leaders of the generations before hers had stolen her childhood and her dreams.

The video of Ms Thunberg shows her standing in the United Nations lobby in New York, just as Mr Trump arrived.

Cameras captured the moment in which the 16-year-old’s expression changes from a slight curiosity to what looks like steely anger as the American president walked by.

Ms Thunberg had just delivered a speech to the United Nations in which she called for urgent action on climate change.

“How dare you continue to look away, and come here saying that you are doing enough, when the politics and solutions needed are still nowhere in sight,” she told the United Nations.

She continued: “You say you 'hear' us and that you understand the urgency. But no matter how sad and angry I am, I don’t want to believe that. Because if you fully understood the situation and still kept on failing to act, then you would be evil. And I refuse to believe that.”

Mr Trump, for his part, has challenged the idea that climate change — which is supported by the vast majority in the scientific community, of which the American is not a member — exists, and has openly mocked the idea, on one occasion suggesting it was a Chinese hoax.

Since taking office, Mr Trump has overseen an expansive effort to destroy his predecessor’s policies aimed at slowing the rate of climate change, including by easing up on restrictions for greenhouse gas emissions and bringing up new oil and gas leases.