Greta Thunberg: Larger Than Life

You’ve probably seen her name all over the news. Recent headlines covered her powerful words at the conference in New York and her sailing trip across the Atlantic Ocean by herself in order to get to the said United Nations Climate Action Summit. Why not take a plane? The answer is simple for the fiery climate activist, Greta Thunberg; She wants to reduce her carbon footprint as much as possible. This may seem like an unusual worry for a 16-year-old girl, but Greta sees it as the most important issue of all. 

What separates Greta from the rest of the climate activists is not only age, but also the way she goes about getting things done. She has spoken in Ted-Talks, multiple Climate Change Conferences, a UN meeting, and her own organized School Strikes. Greta does not care if she makes the adults in charge feel bad. She did not hold back when addressing the UN Leaders, even going as far to say, “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!” 

The way she speaks may come across as disrespectful to some, possibly even a little rude. But others say she wouldn’t get as much recognition or influence if she was calm and collected. The Washington Post wrote an article about her titled, “Greta Thunberg Weaponized Shame in An Era of Shamelessness” and that is absolutely correct. The reason Greta is getting so much praise and harsh criticism is because she is calling attention to the issue in a way that is unique to only her.  Through her bold, unapologetic, and fearless disposition, she is getting a large following of supporters, and many of the adults in power feel threatened to say the very least.

While Greta is being commended for her call to action by many, others are using the power of social media to try and take away her power. The majority of these people are adults. More specifically, adults in power or with a platform. A Fox News reporter called Greta a “Mentally ill Swedish child,” referring to a form of autism Greta has called Aspergers. U.S President Donald Trump patronized Greta in a tweet, calling her, “a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see!” Trump is well-known as someone who believes Climate Change is an elaborate hoax. Greta still stands strong despite being bullied by grown adults, even clapping back at Trump by sarcastically changing her Twitter bio to, “a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future.”

People can try and bring her down as much as they want, but Greta Thungberg is larger than life. She is on the frontlines leading GenZ’s revolution. She started her movement with a population of just herself sitting outside Swedish parliament with a simple white poster board that read “SKOLSTREJK FÖR KLIMATET” (School Strike for Climate) in big black capital letters. Fast forward to September 20, 2019, and she has created a movement of four million people around the world who are showing their support by using #FridaysForFuture. Greta Thunberg is a speedy fireball of hope and a desire for change, and thankfully she is not slowing down any time soon.

By Eileigh Munro