Earlier on Tuesday, Thunberg told the same gathering of global political, corporate and media leaders that 'pretty much nothing has been done' to avoid the potentially catastrophic consequences of global warming exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius.

She was unlikely to be convinced by Trump's pledge that the United States would join an initiative launched by the WEF to plant a trillion trees — which prompted polite applause — or his remarks that his administration was 'committed to preserving the majesty of God's creation and natural beauty of our world.'