Greta Thunberg Biography

(Swedish Environmental Activist Known for Challenging World Leaders to Take Action for Climate Change Mitigation)

Birthday: January 3, 2003 (Capricorn)

Born In: Stockholm, Sweden

Greta Thunberg is a Swedish environmental activist. After recognizing the lack of action in combating the global climate crisis, Greta felt the need to make a difference. She started off by changing her family’s lifestyle and realized that she could hope for change. After winning an essay-writing competition on climate change, she was inspired to hold school strikes. She started off by skipping school to protest outside the Swedish parliament. Her demands were that Sweden should follow the outline provided by the Paris Agreement. After her cause went viral on social media, she inspired many other peers to do the same and her movement came to be known as ‘Fridays for Future’. Since then, Greta has plunged herself and traveled across the world to give speeches. She has spoken at climate rallies, conferences, the COP 24 summit, and at the World Economic Forum. Her speeches have impacted many changes and stirred many politicians into action. She was named as the ‘next generation leader’ by Time Magazine and has many honors and awards to her name. More recently, she was the subject of the documentary ‘Make the World Greta Again’ and made the headlines after embarking on a carbon neutral transatlantic voyage from Plymouth to New York.

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Quick Facts

Also Known As: Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg

Age: 21 Years, 21 Year Old Females

Family:

father: Svante Thunberg

mother: Malena Ernman

siblings: Beata Ernman Thunberg

Born Country: Sweden

Environmental Activists Swedish Women

City: Stockholm, Sweden

  • 1

    Why is Greta Thunberg famous?

    Greta Thunberg gained international fame for her environmental activism, particularly for her efforts to raise awareness about climate change and advocate for sustainable practices.
  • 2

    What inspired Greta Thunberg to start her climate activism?

    Greta Thunberg was inspired to start her climate activism after learning about the impacts of climate change and realizing the urgent need for action to combat it.
  • 3

    What is Greta Thunberg's message to world leaders?

    Greta Thunberg's message to world leaders is to take immediate and decisive action to address the climate crisis, listen to the science, and prioritize the well-being of future generations.
  • 4

    How has Greta Thunberg's activism influenced global climate movements?

    Greta Thunberg's activism has had a significant impact on global climate movements by inspiring millions of people, especially young individuals, to join the fight against climate change and demand political action.
  • 5

    What are some key accomplishments of Greta Thunberg in her climate activism?

    Some key accomplishments of Greta Thunberg in her climate activism include leading the Fridays for Future movement, delivering powerful speeches at international forums, and influencing policies and actions towards climate action.
Childhood & Early Life
Greta Thunberg was born on 3 January 2003 in Stockholm, Sweden. She is the daughter of the actor, Svante Thunberg, and the Swedish opera singer, Malena Ernman. She is also the granddaughter of the actor and director Olof Thunberg. She has a sister named Beata Ernman.
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Activism
Greata Thunberg understood and heard about climate change when she was 8 years old and was baffled about the lack of action by world leaders. She was later diagnosed with depression and subsequently Asperger syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and selective mutism. She did not let this hinder her cause.
Her first foray into making a difference was with her family. She challenged her parents to lower the family’s carbon footprint and go vegan. Her parents’ encouraging response and gradual acceptance in the change of their lifestyle gave her hope. She realized she could make a difference.
Greta was inspired to go on a climate strike after the school shootings in the US, which allowed many teen activists to take the road. She recognized that climate change, like gun control, needs to be emphasized by everyone.
In May 2018, she won an essay-writing competition on climate change held by Svenska Dagbladet, a Swedish newspaper. The essay was published in the paper. She was consequently contacted by Bo Thoren, of the Fossil Free Dalsland group, who spoke to her about school children marching for climate change.
Initially, Greata Thunberg tried asking others to join the strike, but nobody relented. She decided to do it all by herself. In August 2018, she decided to not attend school until the Swedish government actively reduced carbon emissions according to the Paris Agreement.
She started the protest by sitting outside the Riksdag every day and did this for three weeks while holding the banner ‘School Strike for the Climate’ (Skolstrejk för klimatet).
She gathered momentum to her cause through social media, and her cause went viral on Instagram and Twitter.
The news quickly spread, and she attracted international coverage. She inspired many school students to the same across the globe. By the end of 2018, she had successfully motivated over 20,000 students to hold strikes in over 200 cities.
After October 2018, she was not a solitary protestor anymore. She traveled throughout Europe, gave speeches, mobilized her followers and stirred them to action, and slowly became an influencer on her own.
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She was nominated for the Children's Climate Prize in November 2018; Greta Thunberg refused to accept this on the grounds that finalists had to fly to Stockholm to attend the ceremony. She stated that this went against her values of leaving a low carbon footprint.
At the end of 2018, Greta Thunberg became a recognized climate activist with her protests and was a global figure. Her activism was covered by many media outlets. Despite missing school, she was supported by many of her friends, teachers, and parents. She continued protesting at the Swedish parliament and others joined her.
In February 2019, many academics signed an open letter extending their support for Greta and her acting. Later, she voiced over the song ‘The 1975’, where she spoke about the need for rebellion and civil disobedience regarding the lack of action concerning climate change.
She continued making speeches at global platforms such as the European Parliament, TEDxSTockholm, COP24 Summit, Davos, European Economic and Social Committee, Brandenburg Gate, and at the Austrian World Summit R20.
In May 2019, she published a compilation of her climate action speeches titled ‘No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference’ and announced that the earnings will proceed to charity. The book has climbed many bestseller charts and continues to inspire thousands.
Later in May 2019, a 30-minute documentary titled ‘Make the World Greta Again’ was released by Vice. Though it featured Greta as the main inspiration, the documentary also explored other youth protest activists in Europe.
In August 2019, Greta Thunberg journeyed from Plymouth, UK to New York, US in a yacht that was driven with solar panels and underwater turbines. The trip demonstrated the importance of reducing emissions and the possible solutions that can be undertaken.
After reaching New York in fifteen days, Thunberg took part in the UN Climate Action Summit in New York. She later attended the COP 25 climate change conference in Santiago, Chile.
In September 2019, she joined hands along with George Monbiot to produce a short film that focused on the need to protect and restore nature too combat global climate change. The movie was directed by Tom Mustill.
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Awards & Achievements
By the end of 2018, Thunberg became among the most recognized teenagers in the world. She was awarded the Fryshuset scholarship of the Young Role Model of the Year. Later, she was named as one of the world’s most influential teenagers in 2018 by Time magazine.
In March 2019, on International Women’s Day, she was announced as the most important woman of the year in Sweden based on a survey. Later in the month, she won the German Goldene Kamera Special Climate Protection award.
Her other honors include the Prix Liberté from Normandy, the Norwegian Fritt Ords Prize, Laudato Si' Prize, Geddes Environment Medal, and the Ambassador of Conscience award. She has also been nominated as a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019.
She was named among the 100 Most Influential People of 2019 by Time Magazine. Later, she was also awarded an honorary degree by the University of Mons.
Legacy
At such a young age, Thunberg has stirred many and inspired thousands of school children. This has been described as the ‘Greta Thunberg Effect,’ which calls for the need for action and focus on climate change. Many politicians and personalities have cited her role in reawakening their conscience.
Many publishers attribute Greta’s consistent activism directly to the rise of sales of children’s books addressing the climate crisis. Many philanthropists and investors reached forward and donated to various funds after being inspired by Greta.
Facts About Greta Thunberg
Greta Thunberg is known for her unique way of traveling sustainably, opting for trains and electric cars over airplanes whenever possible.
She has a keen interest in science and has a deep understanding of climate change, often citing scientific research in her speeches and interviews.
Greta is a polyglot and can speak multiple languages fluently, including Swedish, English, and German.
In addition to her environmental activism, Greta is also passionate about promoting mental health awareness and self-care among young people.
Despite her young age, Greta has shown remarkable courage and determination in speaking out against climate change and inspiring millions of people around the world to take action.

See the events in life of Greta Thunberg in Chronological Order

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- Greta Thunberg Biography
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