Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg has been a leading figure in climate advocacy since her school strike in 2018. She inspired a global "Fridays for Future" strike movement, demanding action on climate change. Known for her emotive speeches, Thunberg accused world leaders of inaction at several UN Climate Conferences. Particularly, her "How Dare You" speech in 2019 garnered significant attention. She led a global Climate Strike in 2019, drawing involvement from 7 million people. While balancing her education, she continues her weekly strikes and engagements with leaders like Angela Merkel to discuss climate policies. Thunberg's key demands include adherence to the Paris Agreement, significant reduction in greenhouse gases by 2030, and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. Her major emphasis is on global action towards the climate crisis, using her platform to keep the conversation focused on the issue rather than herself.
Greta Thunberg has been a prominent figure in climate advocacy over the past five years. She sparked a global movement with her school strike in front of the Swedish Parliament in 2018, which inspired the "Fridays for Future" protest. Her speeches, noted for their emotional and blunt critiques, have been at the forefront of international climate conferences. She accused world leaders of inaction on climate change at the 2018 United Nations Climate Change Conference, and again during her renowned "How Dare You" speech at the 2019 United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York. In 2019, she led a global Climate Strike that engaged over 7 million people and pressed political leaders to take action. Despite returning to school in 2020, Thunberg continues to strike for climate each Friday. She has met with influential leaders like Angela Merkel to discuss climate policies and has constantly highlighted her three key demands: adherence to the Paris agreement, significant reduction in greenhouse gases by 2030, and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. Thunberg has utilized her international platform to propel the climate change conversation and inspire global action, all while redirecting attention from herself to the pressing need for climate response.
Greta Thunberg has gained international recognition over the past five years for her bold and aggressive advocacy of climate action. In 2018, she initiated a school strike outside the Swedish Parliament, demanding stronger actions against climate change, which later evolved into a global strike, known as "Fridays for Future."
Her speeches, often marked with a blunt and emotional appeal, generated worldwide attention. In 2018, at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP24), she accused world leaders of being immature and stealing her generation's future by their inaction on climate crisis.
In 2019, Thunberg again addressed the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York, where she delivered her iconic "How Dare You" speech with a fierce and uncompromising message. She criticized world leaders for their failure to address the climate crisis, saying, "We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you!"
She led a worldwide Climate Strike in September 2019, encouraging students and adults to protest global inaction on climate change. By November, the strike had engaged over 7 million people globally, forcing political leaders to take note of their demands.
In September 2020, Thunberg returned to school but continued to strike for climate every Friday, using the hashtag #FridaysForFuture. She has visited several countries to meet with political leaders like Angela Merkel to discuss climate policies while consistently emphasizing her three fundamental demands: follow the Paris agreement, cut greenhouse gases in half in the next decade, and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
Thunberg has further pushed the climate change narrative into mainstream global discourse through her appearances on various international platforms. However, she has continuously stressed that the focus should be on the climate crisis, not her. She has thus rejected honors and awards, such as the Nordic Council Environment Prize, to redirect the attention to the urgent need for climate action.
Her efforts have largely helped transform the way people think about climate change, bringing a sense of urgency and moral responsibility to this pressing issue. By using her platform, she has inspired millions to advocate for the need to reduce carbon emissions and save our planet.