Greta - An Inspiration by Medha Shrivastava VII-C

Introduction

I am sure that all of you have heard about Greta Thunberg, the Swedish teenage environmentalist, who fought against climate change with protests, speeches and what not.

Greta Thunberg, whose full name is Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg, was born on 3rd January 2003, in Stockholm, Sweden to Svante Thunberg and Malena Ernman.

How She Started

From an early age, Greta cared about the environment. When she was small, she even forced her parents to stop eating meat. She believes that being non-vegetarian is destroying this generation, and later, alongside meat, she also stopped eating dairy products and eggs. She is currently vegan and encourages all to eat vegan food.

In August of 2018, she started skipping school classes, and during that time, she protested with a black and white sign in her hand ( it said ‘Skolstrejk för klimatet’ which means School strike for the climate) outside the parliament. The reason for this strike was political inactivity towards global warming. Then, she started her weekly protest ‘School Strike for the climate’ or ‘Fridays for Future’ for school students like her.

At The United Nation Climate Action Summit

Yes! Greta Thunberg has gone to the UN. She went there in 2019 and her speech was shocking.

She stated that she should be in school right now and that adults and people in power need students and youngsters to teach them about climate & environmental change, the existence of which has always been all-so-clear. She also stated that such people are ruining her dreams and her childhood, and that they only care about money and economic growth.

Many people were happy and proud of her speech, and some felt ashamed or uncomfortable.

Greta In The Pandemic

In early 2020, she guest edited the BBC show. In January she joined the most powerful economic leaders on the planet at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. During the Pandemic, in March, instead of general strikes like from the past 2 years, she announced a DIGITAL STRIKE.

She started attending school regularly as she was home and even participated in the BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT.

“At the end of the day,” she says, “Justice is what matters. Injustice should not be tolerated and people are now realising that.”

Awards

Through the many years of protesting and school strikes, Greta has got many awards, they are -

• Right Livelihood Award

• International Children's Peace Prize

• Glamour Award for The Revolutionary

• Nordic Council Environment Prize

• Rachel Carson Prize

• Shorty Award for Best in Activism

• Ambassador of Conscience Award

Conclusion

Greta’s story teaches us that it is not important to be an adult or be old to make a difference for the environment. Greta, to the world, was just a child in school, but her protest and passion for saving the environment has made her one of the most famous people in the world in the last two years. She teaches us that the smallest of resources ( such as a black and white sign ) can affect persons, and she took advantage of that.

She teaches us that if we really do care about the climate,and are ready to fight for it, we cannot be overlooked.