Greta Thunberg has been a household name for a few years now - and for good reason. At only 18 years old, she has been credited with shifting public opinions and behaviours towards the climate crisis, as well as raising awareness for people with Asperger's. However, not everyone agrees with her 'radical' approach to climate activism.
Born in Stockholm in 2003 to an opera singer and an actor, Thunberg first learnt about climate issues in a geography lesson at school when her class was shown a video about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. A common trait of Asperger's is the tendency to focus deeply on one idea or interest, and this is certainly true for Thunberg. She quickly became more and more passionate about the topic and within a few months had gone vegan and completely boycotted air travel.
Three weeks before the September 2018 Swedish elections, Thunberg began her 'School Strike for Climate' campaign, skipping school to sit outside parliament with her homemade sign. By the end of the 3 weeks, she had been joined by hundreds of other students and had garnered massive international attention. Since those elections, she has continued to hold her strikes every Friday, naming her campaign 'Fridays for Future'.
Since then, she has spoken at numerous conferences, including the World Economic Forum, European Parliament and the 2019 UN climate event in NYC. Her powerful speech at the latter, about how we need to stop arguing and start acting, inspired millions of people to take part in climate strikes in 163 countries that month.
"The climate crisis has already been solved...We already have all the facts and solutions. All we have to do is wake up and change.”
For the most part Thunberg is seen to have made a positive impact, however she has received a lot of criticism for her methods and credibility. Common arguments are that she is too young to know what she is talking about, is too extreme in her words and methods, and risks alienating the public through her use of shaming tactics. In addition to this, whilst she herself doesn't have any wider political aim to her campaigning, it is easy for extremist groups (especially of the far left) with a broader agenda to pick up her cause and use it to their advantage.
We'll leave you to form your own opinions about her impact and method, but it is difficult to deny that overall she has definitely been instrumental in making the climate crisis a key public concern over the last couple of years, which is hardly a small achievement.
To view and shop our 'Greta' top, click here.
Comments