Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg felt that going to school was meaningless when she couldn't be sure the planet had a future. In 2018, she sat down outside the Swedish parliament with a poster with the words: school strike for the climate.
Why should I be studying for a future that soon may be no more, when no one is doing anything to save that future?
Greta Thunberg
Thunberg was on strike from the 20th of August 2018 until the Swedish parliamentary election on 9. September the same year. After that she was on strike every Friday to ensure that Sweden met the requirements of the Paris agreement.
What is the Paris agreement?
The Paris agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. The treaty was drawn up by participants at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2015. 196 members of the UNFCCC have signed the treaty, and 188 remain party to it.
Famously, the president of the USA, Donald Trump, withdrew the United States from the Paris Agreement in 2017. Other countries that are not part of the treaty are Iran and Turkey.
The goal of the Paris agreement is to keep climate change well below 2 degrees this century. To achieve this goal, countries commit to limiting greenhouse gas emissions and becoming climate neutral by 2050.
Greta Thunberg's climate strike gained attention far beyond Swedish borders. Her story was quickly picked up by the media in many countries. Through social media, Thunberg encouraged young people around the world to follow in her footsteps, and many did. Climate strikes and protests were carried out in a number of countries. In April 2019 Thunberg spoke before the European Parliament.
Thunberg was invited to speak at the UN Climate Summit in New York in 2019. Initially, she rejected the idea as it would involve air travel. When she was able to catch a lift with the environmentally friendly boat, Malizia II, she made the trip anyway. Her speech was broadcast on news channels all over the world, and a transcript of the speech was printed in many newspapers.
My message is that we'll be watching you. This is all wrong. I shouldn't be up here. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. Yet you all come to us young people for hope. How dare you. You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. Yet I am one of the lucky ones. People are suffering.
Greta Thunberg, at the UN Climate Summit in New York.
Thunberg has received a lot of criticism from climate change sceptics, among them President Trump. Many claim that Thunberg is just a puppet who is used by others to promote an agenda. Born in 2003, Greta was a teenager when she started her campaign, and many find it hard to believe that an ordinary teenager can have this kind of global impact.
So ridiculous. Greta must work on her anger management problem, then go to a good old-fashioned movie with a friend. Chill Greta, Chill!
Donald Trump on Twitter after Time Magazine chose Thunberg for person of the year in 2019.
Greta Thunberg has been open about having Asperger's Syndrome and Selective Mutism. She has said that before she started the school strike for the climate, she had no energy and no friends, and sat at home alone. She has chosen to be open about having the disorder, because she hopes to combat prejudices. Thunberg has stated that having Asperger's Syndrome is like having a superpower, as it helps her be unusually focused and determined.
When haters go after your looks and differences, it means they have nowhere left to go. And then you know you’re winning!
Greta Thunberg
Thunberg has received a number of accolades and awards for her work, among them the Right Livelihood Award, the Nordic Council's Award for Nature and Environment, the International Children's Peace Prize, and the Rachel Carson Award. She was also nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
In August 2020 Thunberg returned to school after having taken a year off to campaign against climate change. She continues to have an online presence encouraging climate action.
Sources
BBC, 2020, Greta Thunberg: Who is she and what does she want? Retrieved from: Link to article on the BBC's webpage.
Noor, P., 2019, Trump's latest attack on Greta Thunberg was sexist, ableist – and perhaps jealous, The Guardian. Retrieved from: Link to article on the Guardian's webpage.
NPR staff, 2019, Transcript: Greta Thunberg's Speech At The U.N. Climate Action Summit. Retrieved from: Link to Greta Thunberg's UN speech on NPR's webpage.
Rourke, A., 2019, Greta Thunberg responds to Asperger's critics: 'It's a superpower', The Guardian. Retrieved from: Link to article on the Guardian's webpage.
United Nations, The Paris Agreement. Retrieved from: Link to UNFCCC's webpage, article about the Paris Agreement.
Wikipedia, Greta Thunberg. Retrieved from: Link to Wikipedia entry about Greta Thunberg.