Swedish climate activist, born in 2003. In 2018 she launched a school strike in front of the Swedish Parliament, inspiring the global Fridays for Future movement. A symbol of youth commitment in the fight against climate change.
Greta Thunberg(2003 — ?)
Greta Thunberg
Suède
8 min read
Frequently asked questions
Famous Quotes
« Our house is on fire.»
« I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day.»
« You say you love your children above all else, and yet you are stealing their future in front of their very eyes.»
Key Facts
- 2003: born in Stockholm, Sweden
- August 2018: beginning of the school strike for the climate in front of the Riksdag (Swedish Parliament)
- 2019: launch of the global Fridays for Future movement, bringing together millions of young people
- September 2019: famous 'How dare you' speech before the UN in New York
- 2019: named Person of the Year by Time magazine
Works & Achievements
A global school strike movement for the climate, founded de facto by Greta Thunberg. It brings together millions of young people in over 180 countries and stands as one of the largest youth mobilizations in contemporary history.
A collection of Greta Thunberg's major speeches, translated into more than twenty languages and sold in several million copies. It distills her thinking and makes her addresses accessible to the general public.
A speech that went viral before the United Nations General Assembly, in which she confronts world leaders with raw moral outrage. This address is studied in many schools as an example of committed rhetoric.
A militant act of refusing to fly to reach New York, Greta crossed the Atlantic over two weeks aboard a zero-emission racing sailboat. The voyage was a concrete demonstration of consistency between words and practice.
A sweeping anthology coordinated by Greta Thunberg, bringing together contributions from over a hundred scientists, economists, and activists. The book aims to provide a comprehensive account of the climate crisis and the solutions available.
Anecdotes
In August 2018, at just 15 years old, Greta Thunberg stood alone outside the Swedish Parliament holding a hand-painted sign reading 'Skolstrejk för klimatet' (School Strike for Climate). Her parents tried to talk her out of it, but she persisted. Within three weeks, thousands of students around the world were following her lead.
Greta has been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and selective mutism. Far from seeing these as disabilities, she describes these traits as 'superpowers' that allow her to focus with rare intensity on the causes she cares about. She publicly embraces her neurodivergent identity.
In 2019, flatly refusing to fly due to the carbon footprint of air travel, Greta crossed the Atlantic aboard the racing yacht Malizia II to attend the UN Climate Summit in New York. The crossing took fifteen days, sometimes under difficult conditions, with no toilet or shower. This powerful gesture was covered by media around the world.
In September 2019, before the UN General Assembly, Greta delivered a speech that became famous for the line 'How dare you!' — directed at world leaders whom she accused of inaction in the face of the climate crisis. Her intense gaze and voice trembling with indignation circled the globe within hours.
In December 2019, the American magazine Time named her 'Person of the Year,' making her, at 16, the youngest person ever to receive that honor in the magazine's history. On the cover, she appears from behind, facing the ocean — a vision of youth looking toward the future.
Primary Sources
You say you love your children above all else, and yet you are stealing their future in front of their very eyes.
Our house is on fire. I am here to say, our house is on fire. […] I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day.
You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. […] How dare you! We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth.
Some say I should study to become a climate scientist so that I can 'solve the climate crisis'. But the climate crisis has already been solved. We already have all the facts and solutions. All we have to do is to wake up and change.
I don't want you to listen to me. I want you to listen to the scientists. And I want you to unite behind the science.
Key Places
Greta Thunberg's hometown, where she grew up and became aware of climate issues from the age of 8. It is here that she decided to take action after suffering from depression linked to eco-anxiety.
In front of this building on the island of Helgeandsholmen, Greta began her historic school strike on August 20, 2018. This is the birthplace of the Fridays for Future movement.
The site of her "How dare you!" speech in September 2019 before the United Nations General Assembly, which definitively launched Greta onto the world diplomatic stage.
The city that hosted the 24th Conference of the Parties on climate in December 2018. Greta delivered her first major international speech there, directly challenging world leaders.
Host city of COP26 in November 2021. Greta took part in the outside demonstrations and described the results of the official conference as "blah blah blah," symbolizing her distrust of climate diplomacy.
