PERSON: Greta Thunberg
Position
Climate Activist
Biography
Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈɡrêːta ˈtʉ̂ːnbærj]; born 3 January 2003) is a Swedish environmental activist known for challenging world leaders to take immediate action to mitigate the effects of human-caused climate change.
Thunberg’s climate activism began when she persuaded her parents to adopt lifestyle choices that reduced her family’s carbon footprint. On 20 August 2018, at age 15, Thunberg began skipping school, vowing to remain out of school until after the national Swedish election in an attempt to influence the outcome. She protested outside the Swedish parliament where she called for stronger action on climate change by holding up a Skolstrejk för Klimatet (School Strike for Climate) sign and handing out informational flyers. After the election, Thunberg spoke in front of her supporters, telling them to use their phones to film her. She then said that she would be continuing school striking for the climate every Friday until Sweden was in compliance with the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. Thunberg’s youth and blunt speaking manner fueled her rise to the status of a global icon.
Shortly after Thunberg’s first school strike for the climate protest, other students engaged in similar protests in their communities. They then united and organized the school strike for climate movement under the banner of Fridays for Future. After Thunberg addressed the 2018 United Nations Climate Change Conference, weekly student climate strike protests took place on Fridays around the world. In 2019, multiple coordinated multi-city protests involved over a million students each. To avoid carbon-intensive flying, Thunberg sailed on a carbon-free yacht from Plymouth, England, to New York City where she attended and addressed the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit. In her speech, Thunberg scolded the world’s leaders by exclaiming “How dare you” in reference to their perceived indifference and inaction to the climate crisis. Her admonishment made worldwide headlines.
Thunberg’s rise to world fame made her an ad hoc leader in the climate activist community. She also faced heavy criticism, much of it mocking her as a naïve teenager. Thunberg’s influence on the world stage has been described by The Guardian and other media outlets as the “Greta effect”. She has received numerous honours and awards, including an honorary Fellowship of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, inclusion in Time’s 100 most influential people, named the youngest Time Person of the Year in 2019, inclusion in the Forbes list of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women (2019), and multiple nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize.
After Thunberg graduated from high school in June 2023, her protest tactics began to escalate. As an adult, her protests have included defying lawful orders to disperse—defiant but peaceful confrontations with police—which have led to arrests, convictions, and one acquittal. Thunberg’s activism has also evolved to include causes other than climate change, most notably taking a pro-Palestinian position triggered by the Israel–Hamas war.
>> Wikipedia
Thunberg’s climate activism began when she persuaded her parents to adopt lifestyle choices that reduced her family’s carbon footprint. On 20 August 2018, at age 15, Thunberg began skipping school, vowing to remain out of school until after the national Swedish election in an attempt to influence the outcome. She protested outside the Swedish parliament where she called for stronger action on climate change by holding up a Skolstrejk för Klimatet (School Strike for Climate) sign and handing out informational flyers. After the election, Thunberg spoke in front of her supporters, telling them to use their phones to film her. She then said that she would be continuing school striking for the climate every Friday until Sweden was in compliance with the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. Thunberg’s youth and blunt speaking manner fueled her rise to the status of a global icon.
Shortly after Thunberg’s first school strike for the climate protest, other students engaged in similar protests in their communities. They then united and organized the school strike for climate movement under the banner of Fridays for Future. After Thunberg addressed the 2018 United Nations Climate Change Conference, weekly student climate strike protests took place on Fridays around the world. In 2019, multiple coordinated multi-city protests involved over a million students each. To avoid carbon-intensive flying, Thunberg sailed on a carbon-free yacht from Plymouth, England, to New York City where she attended and addressed the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit. In her speech, Thunberg scolded the world’s leaders by exclaiming “How dare you” in reference to their perceived indifference and inaction to the climate crisis. Her admonishment made worldwide headlines.
Thunberg’s rise to world fame made her an ad hoc leader in the climate activist community. She also faced heavy criticism, much of it mocking her as a naïve teenager. Thunberg’s influence on the world stage has been described by The Guardian and other media outlets as the “Greta effect”. She has received numerous honours and awards, including an honorary Fellowship of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, inclusion in Time’s 100 most influential people, named the youngest Time Person of the Year in 2019, inclusion in the Forbes list of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women (2019), and multiple nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize.
After Thunberg graduated from high school in June 2023, her protest tactics began to escalate. As an adult, her protests have included defying lawful orders to disperse—defiant but peaceful confrontations with police—which have led to arrests, convictions, and one acquittal. Thunberg’s activism has also evolved to include causes other than climate change, most notably taking a pro-Palestinian position triggered by the Israel–Hamas war.
>> Wikipedia
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