The 1975 have teamed up with Greta Thunberg on their new single.

The 16-year-old Swedish environmental activist has made her musical debut on a track called The 1975, an eponymous title given to the song which opens each of the band's albums, and features her reading an essay.

In one part, she says: "We have to acknowledge that the older generations have failed.

"All political movements in their present form have failed. But homo sapiens have not yet failed. Yes, we are failing, but there is still time to turn everything around.

"We are facing a disaster of unspoken sufferings for enormous amounts of people. And now is not the time for speaking politely or focusing on what we can or cannot say. Now is the time to speak clearly.

"So, everyone out there, it is now time for civil disobedience. It is time to rebel."

The proceeds from the track will go to campaign group Extinction Rebellion at Greta's request. 

The song, which is the group's first with a guest artist, was recorded in Stockholm, Sweden, last month, and wil be the first single from their upcoming third album, Notes on a Conditional Form.

The UK band's manager, Jamie Oborne, said his office have phased out all single-use plastic, will no longer produce plastic products including CD jewel cases and are working to minimise the impact of vinyl production. The 1975's next merchandize line will also be environmentally friendly, and will see unsold previous collections repurposed into new pieces of memorabilia.