The teenage climate icon who's galvanized activists around the world was late for her first Vancouver speaking engagement.

That's because Greta Thunberg, 16, and about 10,000 climate-strike activists were busy marching through the downtown core as part of a city climate strike.

She received a loud applause when she finally started delivering her speech on the north side of the Vancouver Art Gallery.

"Losing my future is not like losing an election or a few points on the stock market," she said.

Thunberg pointed out world leaders knew 27 years ago that the climate crisis was threatening the future of humanity.

That's because this warning was issued by another teenager, David Suzuki's daughter Severn Cullis-Suzuki, at a speech at the Rio Summit.

Her scheduled 1:10 p.m. appearance on the north side of the Vancouver Art Gallery was delayed until 2:30 p.m.

Thunberg is in šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énḵ Square, which is the Indigenous name given to the plaza south of West Georgia Street between Hornby and Howe streets.

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She's in Vancouver for a climate strike organized by the teenage group Sustainabiliteens.

Her appearance came on the same day that 15 children and youths from 10 to 19 years old filed a lawsuit in the Federal Court of Caanda.

They're alleging that the Canadian government is liable for allowing dangerous levels of greenhouse gas emissions, infringing on their constitutional rights to life, liberty, and security of the person and equal protection under the law.

"Climate change harms that the youth are suffering include aggravated health conditions from increasing wildfires, smoke, and extreme temperatures; property damage and threats to personal security due to sea level rise, erosion, floods, and extreme weather events; loss of cultural traditions, activities and heritage; and the hazardous conditions in the Arctic and Northern Territories caused by rising temperatures and thawing permafrost," Our Children's Trust states on its website.

The statement of claim points out that Canada is one of the 10 highest emitters of greenhouse gases in the world.

"All human activity in Canada depends upon a Stable Climate System," the lawsuit declares. "It is foundational to human life. Without it, society as we know it would cease to exist."