On social media, photographs of places such as Venice – where its canals were once doused in litter and other substances – looking clean and clear, after locals were ordered to stay indoors as part of the coronavirus lockdown. Other places, such as in Portsmouth, UK, were also snapped looking clean as pollution from motor vehicles has rapidly declined. Many who share these pictures claim it shows exactly how pollution has affected the world and that pollution must be cut now to protect the environment.

However, speaking to Express.co.uk, Ms Seibt argues that we must look at the bigger picture before accepting the new normal life.

She said: “Of course those pictures are beautiful, but the question we ought to ask ourselves is what is our end goal?

“Do we really want to stay inside forever and not live our normal daily lives? Not use cars, or technology or travel around the world?

“People in the world are depressed right now, people are not doing very well. And just because the sea looks nice and people can see and point to nature and say ‘look we were the parasite all along’.

“No. That’s just not true. We’re not the parasite of the planet and there is no point in having a beautiful, impeccable and pristine planet if we can’t enjoy our lives.”

She added: “It’s just not true either that the planet has become so much better just because of lockdown. Of course you can take some nice pictures and then say ‘look this is what happens when people die out or don’t live their lives anymore’.

“So do you want a beautiful planet that you can stare at but that’s it? It’s just like looking at a TV screen.”

“As a climate realist, I don’t deny that we don’t have some negative impact on the planet. But I don’t think that it’s related to CO2 emissions.

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Entitled ‘Coronavirus Facts and Fears’, the programme saw CNN broadcaster Sanjay Gupta, former Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and former Centres for Disease Control and Prevention director Richard Besser join Greta on the panel.

The move was widely condemned online, with many questioning what a climate change activist could know about the science of the infection, which has so far killed hundreds of thousands around the globe.

Ms Seibt is a staunch critic of Greta’s, claiming the activist doesn’t have enough science to back up her claims that climate change, and particularly C02 emissions, is killing off the planet.