By Eliza Stone

At just 18 years old, Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg has become the face of the fight against climate change. As a teenager with Asperger’s syndrome (a term at one time used for mild autism), Thunberg seems like an unlikely candidate to lead the charge toward global climate reform. However, her powerful speeches have caught the world’s attention. Thunberg aggressively shames global leaders for their failure to protect our planet, leading to public clashes, including with former President Donald Trump. Her drive and combative style set her apart, and she now devotes her life to fighting global warming.

Her sign reads “School strike for the climate” in Swedish. Photo credit: Anders Hellberg.

Born in Stockholm, Sweden, in January 2003, Thunberg began her fight against climate change as early as age 11. After first learning about the effects of climate change in school, Thunberg fell into a depression. She was unable to accept that little was being done to stop rising temperatures. She stopped speaking and eating and was hospitalized. This period of malnutrition would stunt her growth, and Thunberg now stands at just under five feet tall. To combat her anxieties, Thunberg’s family changed many aspects of their lives, such as becoming vegans and no longer traveling by plane. 

In May 2018, at age 15, Thunberg won a climate change essay competition in her local newspaper, and three months later she began skipping school on Fridays to protest in front of the Swedish parliament building. During her first protest, she was completely alone. Thunberg’s actions quickly gained recognition on social media and began a movement called Fridays for Future. By the end of 2018, over 20 thousand students from across the world had joined Thunberg and skipped school every Friday to urge their leaders to take action to stop climate change. 

Thunberg and her family credit her diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome as to why she was so upset after learning about the changing global climate. Thunberg calls Asperger’s her superpower and credits her deep passion for climate change to it, saying that “if I were like everyone else, I would have continued on and not seen this crisis,” and that “I wouldn’t be able to sit for hours and read things I’m interested in.” Thunberg has become a role model for both adults and children with Asperger’s. She has shown the world that just because she is diagnosed with something referred to as a disorder does not mean that she is unable to create global change and uses her diagnosis to her advantage. 

All of Thunberg’s writing, hard work, and protesting proved effective when she was invited to deliver a speech at the 2019 Climate Action Summit. Her speech lasted only four and a half minutes but quickly took over the internet and sparked a global discussion about climate change. Thunberg powerfully told world leaders that “the eyes of all future generations are upon you. And if you choose to fail us, I say we will never forgive you. We will not let you get away with this. Right here, right now is where we draw the line.” Her words rallied the younger generation behind her and put pressure on global leaders.

Ryann Zaun (’22) is passionate about climate activism and has similar beliefs to Thunberg and supports her, saying “the burden of climate change has been swept under the rug as some other generation’s problem for decades. Greta Thunberg’s call to action to save our planet is revolutionary; at only 18, she is leading the charge against climate change before its largest effects become irreversible.”

Demonstrated support for Thunberg at a protest for climate change. Photo credit: Tim Jacob Hauswirth.

French President Emmanuel Macron was inspired by the movement of young people created by Thunberg, saying “when you are a leader, and every week you have young people demonstrating with such a message, you cannot remain neutral.” 

While many find Thunberg inspiring and see her as a positive leader for generations to come, some global leaders and media outlets have attacked her for her harsh methods of communicating worries about the planet. Russian President Vladamir Putin accused Thunberg of having no place in such a large global controversy, stating “adults must do everything not to bring teenagers and children into some extreme situations.” In 2019, Fox News guest Michael Knowles referred to Thunberg as a “mentally ill Swedish child,” leading the network to publicly apologize to her.

Thunberg’s most public clash occurred in December 2019 against President Trump after she was named Time’s Person of the Year instead of him. Trump took to Twitter, posting that “Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend!” This was the second time the President attacked Thunberg on Twitter, after sarcastically calling her a “very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future” after she criticized him for pulling American out of the Paris Climate Agreement in 2017. Under President Joe Biden’s new administration, the US has since rejoined the Paris Agreement. As Trump was leaving the White House for the final time on January 20, Thunberg used his past words against him, tweeting “he seems like a very happy old man looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see!”

Thunberg often receives backlash due to her harsh delivery when speaking about her unapologetic disappointment in our global leaders. Her extreme response to first learning about climate issues and angry demeanor while speaking sometimes makes Thunberg come off as reckless and immature. Keaton Rahman (‘22) said that Thunberg “comes off as aggressive, but I also think if she didn’t, no one would pay attention to her, no matter how true what she’s saying is.” 

Thunberg on strike. Photo credit: Anders Hellberg.

Despite only being a teenager and being publicly criticized by such powerful figures, Thunberg has brought awareness about climate change to her generation. She has become a global leader in the fight against climate change and shows no signs of backing down, no matter how powerful her opposition. Thunberg captures her drive and determination best herself, putting it simply that “the change is going to come from the people demanding action, and that is us.”