Greta Thunberg: An Activist For Change

Greta Thunberg may not be able to save the world from the climate catastrophe we see on the horizon. However, we are sure that this 17 year old girl has already achieved more than most. She has been able to open the eyes of an entire generation, while at the same time she has risen as a figure who is able to challenge the “rich men in gray suits”. While we may not want to see results right away, this inspiring move can help improve our planet and ecosystems.

Sometimes our society needs characters like Greta Thunberg. It can be argued that most of us have problems with “leaders”, but we like symbols. This young activist from Sweden builds a transcendent phenomenon with each of his performances and performances. She is the “green girl”. She is the young woman who wants to change the world. Her words have reached and touched thousands of people.

It’s clear she’s not talking about anything new. Most of us were aware of the problem she was raising. Climate change is real ; it happens and the consequences can be irreversible. However, Greta Thunberg shares her message in a different way. She has focused on getting the youth on her side by giving powerful speeches and by showing challenging behavior. It is important to note that Greta herself has claimed that her unwavering commitment is due to the fact that she has Asperger’s syndrome.

This young woman has become an icon, and she has made climate change one of the biggest issues for school children across the globe.

Who is Greta Thunberg?

Greta Thunberg was born in Sweden on January 3, 2003. Not everyone is aware of this, but her family is well known in the art world. Her mother, Malena Ernmann, is a very talented opera singer; her father, Svante Thunberg, is a famous actor, and so was her grandfather, Olof Thunberg. This will no doubt make us think that, given the “power” in her immediate environment, Greta could be an orchestrated result of a well-planned and executed strategy.

However, her parents have explained, more than once, that their daughter has always been very concerned about and aware of the environment. On top of that , she suffers from Asperger’s syndrome, which usually leads to hobbies, interests or worries becoming obsessions. That is exactly what happened to Greta Thunberg.

Greta convinced her parents to become vegetarians. When she was 11 years old, she went into a depression due to climate change. She could not understand how the largest countries in the world could pursue policies that were so violent and harmful to the environment. When she was in ninth grade, she refused to go to school. She wanted the Swedish government to reduce its carbon emissions, based on the provisions of the Paris Agreement.

Furthermore, Greta has also experienced episodes of selective mutism. In addition, she suffers from an obsessive-compulsive disorder, and this is also the reason why she can not help but keep the planet, as well as its balance, defense and well-being as one of her biggest concerns.

No one is “too young” to change the world

Last year, Greta published the book No One is Too Small to Make a Difference . In addition, she chose to cross the Atlantic in a sailboat to attend a conference on climate change in New York. The aim of the conference was to raise awareness of the need to reduce travel by air, in order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Once again, she gained media attention around the world; she was in the headlines of several newspapers and Twitter boiled over with hashtags about her and the journey she was on. Again, she talked to all of us about the rich men who do not care about the next generations. According to Greta herself, they will be dead before the planet is destroyed.

Here it is also worth noting that she herself writes all her speeches, and that she was the one who started the school strike for the climate, every Friday. She did not care that she stood alone. Little by little, however, her classmates joined in, and she was no longer alone. A few months passed, and her “Fridays for Future” speech, which she held in defense of the environment, crossed Sweden’s borders and reached the whole world.

New times, new leaders

To conclude, one of the things we are witnessing today is that the icons and symbols of this era are not like the ones we have had in the past, like Martin Luther King jr. or Mahatma Gandhi. Today, it is the younger generations who lead, such as Malala and Greta Thunberg themselves.

The climate crisis is incredibly disturbing, and it deserves to be highlighted by people like this young woman; people who engage others, around the globe. We really hope that her message reaches as many people as possible. Those who are young today will have to face the reality of a new world in the near future; and if we do not take action and implement changes now, there will be no future for them.