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Hillary Clinton has said male politicians are “scared” of teenage climate campaigner Greta Thunberg.

The former US secretary of state, 72, was speaking in London last night alongside her daughter Chelsea to launch the book they have co-written.

The Book Of Gutsy Women: Favourite Stories Of Courage And Resilience is about the women who have inspired them, including the 16-year-old Swedish founder of the international youth movement against climate change.

Clinton said: “I thought we’ll put her in the book because we had read about her lonely, solitary climate strike in front of the Swedish parliament and we were so moved by it.

“It’s been fascinating to watch how scared a lot of grown male leaders are of this young 16-year-old girl.”

Clinton became the first woman to represent a major US political party in a presidential race when she took on Donald Trump in 2016.

She said the fact Thunberg is a young woman speaking out is “rattling” the “ancient DNA” that still exists in society.

“It is maddening to think how much that still operates,” she said.

“You could probably take some of the people who have been so critical of her on social media and in other settings, attach them to a lie detector and say, ‘Don’t you think that’s a bit sexist?’

"And they’d say, ‘Of course not’, and they might even pass because they’re so enthralled to the idea that whatever she’s saying, before we even get to the merits of it, has to be discredited because she should not be saying it.”

Greta Thunberg - In pictures 38 show all Greta Thunberg - In pictures 1/38 Teenage activist Greta Thunberg delivers a speech surrounded by other student environmental advocates outside the White House in 2019 Getty Images 2/38 Environmental activist Greta Thunberg, of Sweden, addresses the Climate Action Summit in the United Nations General Assembly, at U.N. headquarters Jason DeCrow/AP 3/38 Swedish environment activist Greta Thunberg gives a speech at the plenary session during the COP25 Climate Conference Getty Images 4/38 Climate activist Greta Thunberg waves as she arrives in Lisbon aboard the sailboat AP 5/38 Greta Thunberg on the Time Magazine cover, as the climate activist has been named as Person of the Year by the publication PA 6/38 Climate change activist Greta Thunberg is escorted by police on her arrived at Chamartin train station in Madrid Getty Images 7/38 Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg delivers a speech after a mass climate march to demand urgent action on the climate crisis from world leaders attending the COP25 summit, in Madrid AFP via Getty Images 8/38 Greta Thunberg arrives at the Santo Amaro docks in Lisbon onboard the catamaran La Vagabonde AFP via Getty Images 9/38 Greta Thunberg waves as she stands onboard the catamaran La Vagabonde AFP via Getty Images 10/38 Climate activist Greta Thunberg, foreground, gives a speech in Lisbon AP 11/38 Greta Thunberg (C), 16, speaks during a "FridaysForFuture" climate protest AFP via Getty Images 12/38 Teen Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg poses as she visits the Athabasca Glacier at the Columbia Icefield via REUTERS 13/38 Swedish teen environmental activist Greta Thunberg poses on the La Vagabonde, a 48-foot catamaran, with those offering her a ride across the Atlantic ocean @GRETATHUNBERG / via REUTERS 14/38 Greta Thunberg shows the placard "School strike for the climate" which she held outside the Swedish parliament Getty Images 15/38 Swedish teen climate activist Greta Thunberg addresses supporters and journalists upon her arrival in Santo Amaro Recreation dock Getty Images 16/38 Greta Thunberg on the Atlantic Ocean @gretathunberg 17/38 Greta Thunberg in Stockholm, Sweden for BBC's Climate Change - The Facts BBC 18/38 Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg (C) speaks at the Extinction Rebellion group's environmental protest camp at Marble Arch in London on April 21, 2019, AFP/Getty Images 19/38 Chief Arvol Looking Horse greets Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg at Standing Rock High School in Fort Yates AP 20/38 Greta Thunberg speaks during a press conference before the march for climate in Montreal AFP/Getty Images 21/38 Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg watches as US President Donald Trump enters the United Nations Reuters 22/38 Greta Thunberg (C), young activists and their supporters rally for action on climate chang Getty Images 23/38 Greta Thunberg on the cover of GQ PA 24/38 Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg speaks during a Blue Leaders breakfast briefing focused on the release of and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere In a Changing Climate AP 25/38 Getty Images 26/38 Greta Thunberg, Ivy-Fleur Boileau, Virgile Mouquet, Adelaide Charlier and Alicia Arquetoux, French activists from the Youth for Climate movement REUTERS 27/38 Greta Thunberg stands next to Swedish parliament in Stockholm. AP 28/38 Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg arrives for a meeting and a visit of the French National Assembly AFP/Getty Images 29/38 16-year-old Swedish climate change activist, Greta Thunberg (C) holds a placard reading in Swedish "school strike for the climate" as she takes part in the Fridays For Future rally in Piazza del Popolo in Rome AFP/Getty Images 30/38 Greta Thunberg with Caroline Lucas and Jeremy Corbyn PA 31/38 Environment Secretary Michael Gove, former Labour leader Ed Miliband and Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg PA 32/38 Climate change activist Greta Thunberg speaks at a press conference before setting sail for New York in the 60ft Malizia II yacht from Mayflower Marina Getty Images 33/38 Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg speaks during a debate with the EU Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee during a session at the European Parliament AFP/Getty Images 34/38 Greta Thunberg addressed world leaders in Davos AFP/Getty Images 35/38 16 year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg (R) and other students participate in the 'School Strike for Climate' in front of the entrance of the Congress Center on the last day of the 49th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum, WEF, in Davos EPA 36/38 Prince Charles, Prince of Wales greeting Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos Clarence House/AFP via Getty Images 37/38 Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg addresses guests at the World Economic Forum AP 38/38 Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg AP 1/38 Teenage activist Greta Thunberg delivers a speech surrounded by other student environmental advocates outside the White House in 2019 Getty Images 2/38 Environmental activist Greta Thunberg, of Sweden, addresses the Climate Action Summit in the United Nations General Assembly, at U.N. headquarters Jason DeCrow/AP 3/38 Swedish environment activist Greta Thunberg gives a speech at the plenary session during the COP25 Climate Conference Getty Images 4/38 Climate activist Greta Thunberg waves as she arrives in Lisbon aboard the sailboat AP 5/38 Greta Thunberg on the Time Magazine cover, as the climate activist has been named as Person of the Year by the publication PA 6/38 Climate change activist Greta Thunberg is escorted by police on her arrived at Chamartin train station in Madrid Getty Images 7/38 Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg delivers a speech after a mass climate march to demand urgent action on the climate crisis from world leaders attending the COP25 summit, in Madrid AFP via Getty Images 8/38 Greta Thunberg arrives at the Santo Amaro docks in Lisbon onboard the catamaran La Vagabonde AFP via Getty Images 9/38 Greta Thunberg waves as she stands onboard the catamaran La Vagabonde AFP via Getty Images 10/38 Climate activist Greta Thunberg, foreground, gives a speech in Lisbon AP 11/38 Greta Thunberg (C), 16, speaks during a "FridaysForFuture" climate protest AFP via Getty Images 12/38 Teen Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg poses as she visits the Athabasca Glacier at the Columbia Icefield via REUTERS 13/38 Swedish teen environmental activist Greta Thunberg poses on the La Vagabonde, a 48-foot catamaran, with those offering her a ride across the Atlantic ocean @GRETATHUNBERG / via REUTERS 14/38 Greta Thunberg shows the placard "School strike for the climate" which she held outside the Swedish parliament Getty Images 15/38 Swedish teen climate activist Greta Thunberg addresses supporters and journalists upon her arrival in Santo Amaro Recreation dock Getty Images 16/38 Greta Thunberg on the Atlantic Ocean @gretathunberg 17/38 Greta Thunberg in Stockholm, Sweden for BBC's Climate Change - The Facts BBC 18/38 Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg (C) speaks at the Extinction Rebellion group's environmental protest camp at Marble Arch in London on April 21, 2019, AFP/Getty Images 19/38 Chief Arvol Looking Horse greets Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg at Standing Rock High School in Fort Yates AP 20/38 Greta Thunberg speaks during a press conference before the march for climate in Montreal AFP/Getty Images 21/38 Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg watches as US President Donald Trump enters the United Nations Reuters 22/38 Greta Thunberg (C), young activists and their supporters rally for action on climate chang Getty Images 23/38 Greta Thunberg on the cover of GQ PA 24/38 Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg speaks during a Blue Leaders breakfast briefing focused on the release of and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere In a Changing Climate AP 25/38 Getty Images 26/38 Greta Thunberg, Ivy-Fleur Boileau, Virgile Mouquet, Adelaide Charlier and Alicia Arquetoux, French activists from the Youth for Climate movement REUTERS 27/38 Greta Thunberg stands next to Swedish parliament in Stockholm. AP 28/38 Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg arrives for a meeting and a visit of the French National Assembly AFP/Getty Images 29/38 16-year-old Swedish climate change activist, Greta Thunberg (C) holds a placard reading in Swedish "school strike for the climate" as she takes part in the Fridays For Future rally in Piazza del Popolo in Rome AFP/Getty Images 30/38 Greta Thunberg with Caroline Lucas and Jeremy Corbyn PA 31/38 Environment Secretary Michael Gove, former Labour leader Ed Miliband and Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg PA 32/38 Climate change activist Greta Thunberg speaks at a press conference before setting sail for New York in the 60ft Malizia II yacht from Mayflower Marina Getty Images 33/38 Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg speaks during a debate with the EU Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee during a session at the European Parliament AFP/Getty Images 34/38 Greta Thunberg addressed world leaders in Davos AFP/Getty Images 35/38 16 year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg (R) and other students participate in the 'School Strike for Climate' in front of the entrance of the Congress Center on the last day of the 49th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum, WEF, in Davos EPA 36/38 Prince Charles, Prince of Wales greeting Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos Clarence House/AFP via Getty Images 37/38 Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg addresses guests at the World Economic Forum AP 38/38 Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg AP

Her daughter, 39, told the Royal Festival Hall on the South Bank she admired Thunberg’s “fearlessness” in campaigning.

“In our country there are a lot of people who are attacking her because they can’t attack the data, they can’t attack the science,” she added.

The event was hosted by historian Mary Beard. She also appears in the book, which features short essays about more than 100 women.

Among the other names included are sporting pioneers such as Billie Jean King and historical figures such as Florence Nightingale, as well as politicians, civil rights campaigners and suffragettes.

Asked which men she believes are “gutsy”, Clinton named former South African president Nelson Mandela and former US president Barack Obama.

“I think he was a very gutsy person but who worked so, so hard not to let it show,” she said. “He knew the undercurrents that were working against him and he’s been a great defender of women’s rights and opportunities.”