October Woman of the Month: Greta Thunberg

Written by Sophie Holbourne

In the last year, young adults have been rising up against the significant issues surrounding global warming. One of the most prominent is Greta Thunberg. This young lady will be the focus of the latest Woman of the Month.

Born on 3 January 2003 in Stockholm, Sweden, Greta’s parents knew little of what their baby would go on to become. Fast forward to 2011, Greta first became interested in the environment when she began to realise that nothing was being done to help. Three years later, she began to show symptoms of depression, including feelings of lethargy and selective mutism. As a result, she was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and selective mutism. Greta discusses her learning difficulties quite openly and says her Asperger’s Syndrome is almost like a superpower in that she has no inhibitions and will say it how it is without any fear of offending. This is why she is so brilliant; climate change is a crisis and we need people to speak the truth because we are running out of time. Tiptoeing around the situation is not going to get us anywhere, and Greta can see this and fight for change.

Amazingly, Greta even challenged her parents to think more wisely in terms of the environment. They became vegan and even gave up flying. You might remember reading in the news about Greta sailing across the Atlantic Ocean in August 2019 to attend climate change conferences in New York. This used solar power and is a great example of sustainable energy.

In late 2018, inspired by the protests over the school shootings in America, she gave up school in order to protest. She argues that she shouldn’t have to study for a future when there won’t be a future if she doesn’t do something to save it. Her school had mixed feelings about this: they believe she should be in school, but at the same time her protests could be fundamental to the survival of the human race.

Instead of going to school, Greta goes to summits in order to make speeches.

I was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, OCD and selective mutism. That basically means I only speak when I think it's necessary. Now is one of those moments.

— Greta Thunberg

This quote is from her TED Talk in November 2018 and pretty much sums up her entire campaign. The impact has been called the ‘Greta effect', and as a result, politicians have been forced to actually sit up and listen. She has been invited to UN conferences!

Despite her massive strides in addressing climate change, she has faced backlash from several politicians. Before I begin to discuss this, I want to make it clear that I find their criticisms disgusting. Greta is a 16-year-old girl with Asperger’s Syndrome who is fighting for our survival. She has given up her right to an education and is having to sort out the climate herself when the leaders of the world who should be doing that! The most famous of her critics are Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, Emmanuel Macron and many more. They claim that she oversimplifies the climate crisis and that it is in fact so much more complex than what she describes.

Criticising the UN speech Greta made, Putin said: “Nobody explained to Greta that the modern world is complicated and complex." Greta responded by mocking Putin in her Twitter bio, which she changed to “a kind but poorly informed teenager”. In doing this, she has shown that these massive politicians cannot intimidate her and she will fight back!

Another example of her amazing courage is when Donald Trump mocked her. He said: "She seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see!" Greta responded by changing her Twitter bio to “a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future”. These are just a few examples of what Greta has had to face as a result of simply caring about the world she lives in. What we must remember is that these politicians are adults and they think it is acceptable to criticise a 16-year-old girl who is just trying save our planet. That is why I am so shocked about the way they have treated her. It is the likes of Greta Thunberg that will be our next generation of politicians and world leaders. They should be welcoming her with open arms.

Greta continues to fight passionately for our climate and will continue until something is changed about this crisis. She really is an inspirational young lady who will continue to inspire.

If you want to find out more about this truly inspirational girl, you can follow this link:

And if you're interested in getting involved in the fight for our climate yourself, download the Future Girl Acts UMA to complete with your unit, check out the suggestions for taking it further and make sure you make your #PlasticPromise!

I want you to act as if your house is on fire. Because it is.

— Greta Thunberg
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