Global InformationGreta Thunberg information
Greta Thunberg FRSGS | |
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 Thunberg in 2023 | |
| Born | Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg 3 January 2003 Stockholm, Sweden |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 2018–present |
| Movement | School Strike for Climate |
| Parents |
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| Relatives | Olof Thunberg (grandfather) |
| Awards | Full list |
| Signature | |
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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 for climate change mitigation.[1]
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.[2] 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.[3] Thunberg's youth and blunt speaking manner fueled her rise to the status of a global icon.[4]
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.[5] 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.[6] 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.[7][8][9]
Thunberg's rise to world fame made her an ad hoc leader in the climate activist community.[10] She also faced heavy criticism, much of it mocking her as a naïve teenager.[11] Thunberg's influence on the world stage has been described by The Guardian and other media outlets as the "Greta effect".[12] 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),[13] and multiple nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize.[14][15][16]
After Thunberg graduated from high school in June 2023, her protest tactics began to escalate.[17] As an adult, her protests have included defying lawful orders to disperse—and peaceful but defiant confrontations with police—which have led to arrests, convictions, and one acquittal.[18][19] Thunberg's activism has also evolved to include causes other than climate change, most notably the Israel–Hamas war. Thunberg co-authored an op-ed titled "We won't stop speaking out about Gaza's suffering – there is no climate justice without human rights" wherein she articulated her and Sweden's Fridays for Future's position.[20]
- ^ "It's an existential crisis. Listen to scientists". BBC. 23 April 2019. Archived from the original on 14 August 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
- ^ Gibson, Caitlin (16 March 2020). "Before Greta Thunberg was a global icon, she was a tormented child who refused to eat or speak". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 17 March 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- ^ Watts, Jonathan; @jonathanwatts (11 March 2019). "Greta Thunberg, schoolgirl climate change warrior: 'Some people can let things go. I can't'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 11 March 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
- ^ "Greta Thunberg Is TIME's 2019 Person of the Year". TIME.com. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- ^ Haynes, Suyin (24 May 2019). "Students From 1,600 Cities Just Walked Out of School to Protest Climate Change. It Could Be Greta Thunberg's Biggest Strike Yet". Time. Archived from the original on 23 July 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Senguptawas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Video: 'How Dare You': Greta Thunberg at the United Nations". The New York Times. 23 September 2019. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 19 September 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
- ^ "Greta Thunberg to world leaders: 'How dare you – you have stolen my dreams and my childhood' – video". The Guardian. 23 September 2019. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 16 October 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
- ^ "'How dare you': Greta Thunberg gives powerful, emotional speech to the UN – National | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
- ^ Wallace-Wells, David (17 September 2019). "It's Greta's World". Intelligencer. Archived from the original on 29 September 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
- ^ "Greta Thunberg Joins Climate March on Her Last Day in Davos". The New York Times. 24 January 2020. Archived from the original on 19 May 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
- ^ Watts, Jonathan (23 April 2019). "The Greta Thunberg effect: at last, MPs focus on climate change". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 28 August 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
- ^ "World's Most Powerful Women". Forbes. Archived from the original on 20 September 2017. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
- ^ Solsvik, Terje (26 February 2020). "Climate activist Thunberg heads growing field of Nobel Peace Prize candidates". Reuters. Archived from the original on 24 March 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
- ^ Read, Rupert (9 October 2021). "Opinion: This year's Nobel Peace Prize should've gone to Greta Thunberg". The Independent. Archived from the original on 12 July 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
- ^ "Nobel Peace Prize 2022 nominees include Myanmar's shadow government". South China Morning Post. 1 February 2022. Archived from the original on 8 December 2022.
- ^ "Climate activist Greta Thunberg graduates from 'school strikes'". BBC News. 9 June 2023. Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- ^ "Greta Thunberg To Face New Trial In Sweden Over Protest". www.barrons.com. AFP – Agence France Presse. Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- ^ "U.K. Judge Acquits Climate Activist Greta Thunberg". TIME. 2 February 2024. Archived from the original on 27 February 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
thunberg-etal-2023was invoked but never defined (see the help page).