Greta Thunberg, the world-renowned teen Swedish activist, took the planet by storm in 2019 by sparking worldwide strikes against the inaction towards climate change, effectively becoming the face of the global climate change movement.
On January 3, 2020 this brave climate activist turns 17, and on this occasion, The Weather Channel takes a look at five of her most iconic moments from the year 2019:
5. She sailed across the Atlantic on a zero-emission yacht
In August 2019, the then-16-year-old Greta showed the world that she practices what she preaches, when she sailed across the Atlantic Ocean in a zero-emission yacht to attend the UN Climate Action Summit in the US in September 2019.
Instead of taking an airplane, which emits extremely high levels of greenhouse gases, the Swede sailed aboard a Malizia II yacht, which utilised solar panels and underwater turbines to generate power.
Furthermore, when United Nations’ COP25 event in December was abruptly shifted from Chile to Spain, Greta once again took to the sea, embarking on a four-week journey from North America to Europe amid freezing conditions.
After her incredible voyages, Thunberg made it clear that the entire point of her journeys was not to urge everyone to do the same, but to shed light on how difficult it has become to live sustainably in this day and age.
4. She asked the world leaders ‘how dare you’
If Greta made waves on her way to the Climate Action Summit, they were nothing compared to the tremors she caused with her passionate address at the event.
Before world leaders could even begin to tell the United Nations how they plan to combat increasing climate change, they were scolded by none other than this teenage activist.
“How dare you,” she repeated during her emotional speech at the start of the Climate Action Summit. “This is all wrong. I shouldn’t be up here. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. Yet you have come to us young people for hope. How dare you. You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words.”
Not just a powerful speech, but also one of the most iconic and unforgettable moments of 2019.
3. She stared down Donald Trump
After her gripping speech, Greta briefly crossed paths with US president Donald Trump, only to produce one of the most viewed and talked-about encounters of the year.
The youngster was seen locking the POTUS in a cold, steady stare, and the entire incident immediately went viral all over the world.
Greta’s apparent dislike towards Trump likely stems from his infamous disregard towards carbon emission norms and his dismissiveness of climate science. In fact, the two have since exchanged choice words with each other on social media platforms on more than one occasion.
2. She killed it with her Twitter Bios
Donald Trump wasn’t the only president Greta feuded with at the age of 16.
Responding to a comment made by Russian President Vladimir Putin, wherein he called her “kind” but also misinformed, Thunberg changed the description on her Twitter bio to reflect his words. ‘A kind but poorly informed teenager,’ her new bio read in early October.
Next in line was Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, who criticised the teenager by calling her a ‘brat’ in early December. Her response arrived via a modification to her bio once more; this time, she altered it to “Pirralha”—the Portuguese word for brat.
And when Trump took on Greta yet again via a tweet that said she had anger management issues, the activist’s changed bio read: “A teenager working on her anger management problem. Currently chilling and watching a good old fashioned movie with a friend”.
As you’d expect from a Gen Z teen.
1. She became Time Magazine’s Person of the Year
To commemorate everything Greta Thunberg did in inspiring the younger generation across the globe and leading the fight against climate change, Time Magazine awarded her with the ‘Person of the Year’ title in December 2019.
Time editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal said that Thunberg had become the biggest voice on the biggest issue facing the planet, and “the avatar of a broader generational shift in our culture that is playing out everywhere from the campuses of Hong Kong to the halls of Congress in Washington.”
From sitting in front of the Swedish Parliament to demand climate action in August 2018, to urging the entire planet to take action against the rapidly deteriorating climate in 2019, Greta has already come a long way.
As the planet enters what could perhaps be the most crucial decade in the fight against global warming and climate crisis, the accomplishments of this 17-year-old teenager from Sweden will inspire millions to raise their voice for the environment.
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Source: weather
