Greta Thunberg - Biography

Who is Greta?

Greta Thunberg is a youth activist from Sweden. She began an international climate awareness campaign in 2018. Her goal is to make the world aware of the damage that has been done to our planet, and also to fight the effects of climate change. She began her campaign with a “School Strike for Climate” written on a piece of poster board, skipping school on Fridays, and protesting outside of Parliament in her home country.

Following Greta

Greta’s message was able to reach the rest of the world through social media. Her actions against climate change have spread to millions of young people through all forms of social media, and many people all over the world have held sit-ins and protests to show their love for Earth and the need to make major changes to our environment.

Traversing the Earth for the Earth

In Europe, “Fridays for the Future” is a way for young people to show leaders of their countries to act on climate change. These walkouts are led by Greta Thunberg. She has travelled the world and met with leaders from many different parts of the globe demanding changes to policies that impact the planet. She has asked leaders and dignitaries to recommit to the Paris Agreement. The Paris Agreement is a treaty that is in place in multiple countries around the globe that promises to limit global warming by 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2050. To do this, countries will have to reduce greenhouse gasses.

Greta's Superpower

Greta Thunberg has Asperger’s, a condition on the autism spectrum. Sometimes people with this condition can have difficulties with verbal communication and can have an all encompassing interest in one specific topic. Greta Thunberg knows that her special interests in the climate change disaster are intensified by her Asperger’s, but she calls that her superpower. Without it, she may not care as much about the environment, or get other people to rally behind her.

Accolades

Greta Thunberg was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019. She has also become the youngest person ever to be named Time’s Person of the Year. Greta was born in 2003.