Greta Thunberg

About Greta Thunberg

Thunberg's climate activism began when she persuaded her parents to adopt lifestyle choices that reduced her family's carbon footprint. In August 2018, aged 15, Thunberg began skipping school, vowing to remain out of school until after a Swedish election to attempt to influence the outcome. She protested outside the Swedish parliament, where she called for stronger action on climate change by holding up a Skolstrejk för Klimatet (School Strike for Climate) sign and handing out informational flyers. After the election, Thunberg spoke in front of supporters, telling them to use phones to film her. She then said she would continue school striking for the climate every Friday until Sweden were in compliance with the Paris climate agreement. Thunberg's youth and blunt speaking manner fueled her rise to the status of a global icon.

After Thunberg's first school strike for the climate, other students engaged in similar protests. They united and organized the school strike for the climate movement. After Thunberg addressed the 2018 United Nations Climate Change Conference, weekly climate strike protests took place on Fridays around the world. In 2019, coordinated multi-city protests involved over a million students each. To avoid carbon-intensive flying, Thunberg sailed on a carbon-free boat from England to New York, where she addressed the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit. In her speech, Thunberg scolded the world's leaders for their indifference and inaction to the climate crisis. After Thunberg graduated from high school in 2023, her activism continued to gain international attention, and her protest tactics have become increasingly assertive. As an adult, her protests have included both peaceful demonstrations and acts of civil disobedience such as defying lawful orders to disperse, which have led to arrests, convictions, and an acquittal. Thunberg's activism has evolved to include other causes, taking a pro-Hamas stance in response to the Israel–Hamas war.

Thunberg's rise to world fame made her an ad hoc leader in the climate activist community. Thunberg's influence on the world stage has been described by The Guardian and other media as the "Greta effect." She has received honors and awards, including being named one of Time's 100 most influential people, the youngest Time Person of the Year in 2019, inclusion in the Forbes list of the world's 100 most powerful women (2019), and nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize.

In 2021, Thunberg tweeted a “toolkit” for farmers protesting regulations in India. Counter-protesters burned effigies of Thunberg, and she was accused of being involved in an “international criminal conspiracy against India.” The Indian government arrested Thunberg ally Dasha Ravi, although she was eventually released.

Thunberg's parents are opera singer MalenaErnman and actor Svante Thunberg. Her paternal grandfather was actor and director Olof Thunberg. They have both faced criticism from some who claim they have exploited her and her mental afflictions, which include depression and ASD, for their own gains. Greta is the older sister of BeataThunberg.

As of June 2025, Greta has amassed more than 14.9 million Instagram followers and 41,100 YouTube subscribers.