Saving Our Planet: Greta Thunberg
by Allegra Szilagyi
On August 20th, 2018, in Stockholm, Sweden, Greta Thunberg, a rising 9th grader, was planning her day. Her plans, however, were like no other 9th grader's. Greta had been busy planning a school strike against climate change.
Motivation
Thunberg states that she first heard of climate change when she was just 8 years old, and just couldn't believe that so little was being done about it. Hearing about the climate change situation depressed Thunberg, and because of this, at age 11, she stopped eating and talking much. Thunberg lost 22 pounds in 2 months. Soon, she was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), and selective mutism. Thunberg describes her selective mutism as only willing her to speak when she thinks is necessary. Due to these things, Thunberg was stuck on climate change. Greta decided that she had to do something about the state of our planet.
Activism
On August 20th 2018, Greta decided that she would go on a school strike until the Swedish general election, on September 9th. At the age of 15, Thunberg began skipping classes, to protest outside of the Swedish Parliament in Stockholm. After Thunberg had posted a picture of her first school strike on Instagram, her social media profile attracted many local reporters, and her story was soon spread internationally. During the fall of 2018, Thunberg made several high-profile speeches, and took part in many demonstrations throughout Europe. While Thunberg continued on her school strikes, she only did so on Fridays, encouraging others to join her movement.
Legacy and Awards
Thunberg made speeches and called out companies and people that are damaging our Earth in front of different people, groups, and in places including: TEDxStockholm, COP24, World Economic Forum, European Economic and Social Committee, Brandenburg Gate, and many more. Thunberg has also received many awards, such as: Time's 25 Most Influential Teens, A Fryshuset scholarship, A Nobel Peace Prize Nomination, The Swedish Woman of the Year Award, The Rachel Carson Prize, and more.
Lending a Hand
Now, Greta Thunberg isn't the only person who can make a change in our world. You can too! Here are some ways you can help out. Eat more vegetables. Eating more vegetables than meat will significantly lower the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that are released into the air. Throw away less food. By throwing away less food, and composting more, less food will be rotting in landfills, and therefore will result in less methane in the air. Lastly, you can save energy by remembering to turn off the lights and turning off the water when you brush your teeth. Remember, one small action goes a long way.
Watch Greta Thunberg in action!
Greta Thunberg's speech at the UN Climate Action Summit
Greta Thunberg's speech at Youth4Climate
Greta Thunberg's TEDxStockholm speech