Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg (; born 3 January 2003) is a Swedish environmental activist known for challenging world leaders to take immediate action for climate change mitigation.
Thunberg's climate activism began when she persuaded her parents to adopt lifestyle choices that reduced her family's carbon footprint. At age 15, Thunberg began skipping school on 20 August 2018, vowing to remain out of school until after the national Swedish election in an attempt to influence the outcome. She protested outside the Swedish parliament where she called for stronger action on climate change by holding up a (School Strike for Climate) sign and handing out informational flyers. After the election, Thunberg spoke in front of her supporters, telling them to use their phones to film her. She then said that she would continuing school striking for the climate every Friday until Sweden was in compliance with the 2015 Paris climate agreement. Thunberg's youth and blunt speaking manner fueled her rise to the status of a global icon.
Shortly after Thunberg's first school strike for the climate protest, other students engaged in similar protests in their communities. They then united and organized the school strike for climate movement under the banner of Fridays for Future. After Thunberg addressed the 2018 United Nations Climate Change Conference, weekly student climate strike protests took place on Fridays around the world. In 2019, multiple coordinated multi-city protests involved over a million students each. To avoid carbon-intensive flying, Thunberg sailed on a carbon-free yacht from Plymouth, England, to New York City where she attended and addressed the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit. In her speech, Thunberg scolded the world's leaders by exclaiming "How dare you" in reference to their perceived indifference and inaction to the climate crisis. Her admonishment made worldwide headlines.
Thunberg's rise to world fame made her a leader in the climate activist community. She also faced heavy criticism, much of it mocking her as a naïve teenager. Thunberg's influence on the world stage has been described by The Guardian and other media outlets as the "Greta effect". She has received numerous honours and awards, including an honorary Fellowship of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, inclusion in Time 100 most influential people, being the youngest Time Person of the Year, inclusion in the Forbes list of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women (2019), and multiple nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize.
After Thunberg graduated from high school in June 2023, her protest tactics began to escalate. Her adult protests have include defying lawful orders to disperse—and peaceful but defiant confrontations with police—which have led to arrests and convictions.
Early life
Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg was born on 3 January 2003, in Stockholm, Sweden, to opera singer Malena Ernman and actor Svante Thunberg. Her paternal grandfather was actor and director Olof Thunberg. As explained by The Week, "with a thespian father" and singer mother, "it is perhaps unsurprising that [Thunberg] has a slightly unusual name.... Thunberg shares her second name with the adventuring creation of Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi, better known as Hergé." She has a younger sister, Beata.
Thunberg says she first heard about climate change in 2011, when she was eight years old, and could not understand why so little was being done about it. The situation depressed her, and as a result, at the age of 11, she stopped talking and eating much and lost in two months. Eventually, she was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), and selective mutism. In one of her first speeches demanding climate action, Thunberg described her selective mutism as meaning she "only speaks when necessary".