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, Gretaâs 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 Aspergerâs Syndrome, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and selective mutism. Greta discusses her learning difficulties quite openly and says her Aspergerâs 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 shouldnât have to study for a future when there wonât be a future if she doesnât 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.