Greta Thunberg: The Voice Of The Future

The 18 Year Old Who Changed Climate Activism Forever

By Asmita Ram

Why is a seemingly ordinary young girl inspiring young people worldwide? What has she done to earn so much recognition within a short period of time? Are her actions empowering others to do the same? Can she be called inspirational?

Greta Thunberg, is an 18 year old Swedish environmental activist known globally for her work on what is perhaps the most denied and scientifically proven truth of this century — that humanity is facing an existential crisis from climate change.

Greta has spent the last 6 years furiously advocating for young people and adults to take climate change seriously and take more environmentally friendly actions. Her passion for climate and the earth was sparked at the age of 11, when she watched a documentary describing the horrors of the climate crisis. This disturbing experience led to her extreme ill-health where she nearly lost her speaking ability, became malnourished and found herself on the verge of being hospitalized. Thunberg was dumbfounded as to why people were not doing anything to address this crisis. Why are educated people with the power to make a difference, who are well aware of the consequences of their action, continuing to take no action? Why are they choosing to ignore the looming threat of climate change? In a TEDx Talk, Greta says:

“I was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and selective mutism. That basically means I only speak when I think it’s necessary. Now is one of those moments.”

In 2018, after continuous rejection from students and adults to join Greta on her school strike, she took it upon herself to initiate the action. The first day, she was spotted being dropped off outside the Swedish Parliament with a snug coat wrapped around her and a single board reading, “school strike for climate”. What began as an individual protest continued until the Swedish leaders met the emission target agreed by world leaders in Paris, during COP 21. Her actions eventually led to the global “FRIDAYSFORFUTURE” movement as she began amassing support. More than 20,000 students joined her by the end of 2018, and the following year, Greta kept up with her campaign, attending climate conferences and protests and giving speeches at significant events, with the 2020 pandemic bringing an equally massive digital movement.

Since then, she has not only been making headlines in Sweden, but across the globe, which can be attributed to mass media interest and most importantly, her blatant, no-nonsense comments holding global leaders accountable for climate change. In one of her interviews, she states that she would love to be in school, but the leaders of her nation have got to do something in order for her to be in a school; the children have done their homework but have the adults with the power and capacity to make a difference, done theirs? She knows that young people are not experts, which is why she pleads with adults to listen to science, but adults have not been listening to neither the children, nor the science.

This attention she receives is not necessarily positive all the time, as many negative comments and dismissals have snuck their way in. Greta, however, rises above all this negativity: “there will always be people who find ways to complain. If they cannot find anything to complain about they will make something up.” She has also received derisive comments about her appearance and mental health conditions to which she strongly clapped back with this phenomenal caption that earner her praise for strongly responding to internet trolls:

“When haters go after your looks and differences, it means they have nowhere left to go. And then you know you’re winning!…I have Asperger’s syndrome and that means I’m sometimes a bit different from the norm. And — given the right circumstances — being different is a superpower,”

One of Greta’s greatest accomplishments was traveling to New York City to address the UN Climate Conference in September 2019. Further, she traveled in a solar-and-wind-powered racing yacht on a 15 day long journey from Plymouth, UK, surviving off very little cooked food and enduring chilling weather conditions. This action of hers exemplifies another movement which began in 2018 known as flygskam, Swedish for flight-shaming.

She was invited to the United Nations Climate Summit to address global leaders, but what was supposed to be a conventional speech shook the audience to the core with Greta’s incredible emotive and ferocious deliverance. “People are suffering, people are dying, entire ecosystems are dying … and all you talk about is money and eternal fairy tales of economic growth. How dare you?” It is unimaginable to fathom such a response from a young timid-looking girl, standing firmly atop a massive platform and openly condemning the world leaders for the crisis earth is facing today.

This goes to show that young children are the leaders of tomorrow. Greta Thunberg’s astounding stand on climate change is inspiring young kids to take similar actions and empowering leaders to become more climate driven — whether they like it or not!