Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg (Swedish:[ˈɡrêːtaˈtʉ̂ːnbærj]ⓘ; born 3 January 2003) is a Swedish activist best known for pressuring governments to addressclimate change andsocial issues. She gained global attention in 2018, at age 15, after starting a solo school strike outside theSwedish parliament, which inspired the worldwideFridays for Future movement.
Following the growth of the school strike movement, Thunberg became an internationally known figure through speeches, protests, and participation in climate demonstrations in Europe and elsewhere. She has addressed political leaders and taken part in major climate-related events, and her activism has been widely covered by international media, drawing both support and criticism. She has also broadened her focus to include human rights and global justice, voicing support forUkraine,Palestine, andArmenia. In 2025, Thunberg twice joined a humanitarianflotilla bound for theGaza Strip, which drew international attention and political controversy.
Thunberg has been credited with sparking the "Greta effect", influencing environmental awareness and youth engagement worldwide. Supporters credit her with increasing public attention to climate issues and youth activism, while critics have questioned her rhetoric, methods, and role in political debate. Thunberg has consistently stated that her actions are guided by published climate research and policy targets. She has received numerous honours, including inclusion inTime's100 Most Influential People and being namedPerson of the Year in 2019.
Early life
Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg[1][2] was born on 3January 2003, inStockholm, Sweden,[3][4] to opera singerMalena Ernman and actorSvante Thunberg.[5][6] Her paternal grandfather was actor and directorOlof Thunberg.[7][8][9] As explained byThe 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 theadventuring creation of Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi, better known asHergé."[10] She has a younger sister, Beata.[6]
Thunberg says she first heard aboutclimate change in 2011, when she was eight years old, and could not understand why so little was being done about it.[11][6] The situation depressed her, and as a result, at the age of 11, she largely stopped talking, severely restricted her eating, and lost ten kilograms (22 lb) in two months.[12] Eventually, she was diagnosed withAsperger syndrome,obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), andselective mutism.[11][6] In one of her first speeches demanding climate action, Thunberg described her selective mutism as meaning she "only speaks when necessary".[11] She struggled with depression for almost four years before she began her school strike campaign.[13] When she started protesting, her parents did not support her activism. Her father said he did not like her missing school but added: "[We] respect that she wants to make a stand. She can either sit at home and be really unhappy, or protest and be happy."[14]
I was diagnosed withAsperger's syndrome,OCD andselective mutism. That basically means I only speak when I think it's necessary. Now is one of those moments.
Thunberg's diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome was made public nationwide in Sweden by her mother in May2015, in order to help families in similar situations.[16] While acknowledging that Asperger's "has limited [her] before", Thunberg views her diagnosis positively and has described it as a "superpower".[17] She was later described as not only the best-known climate change activist, but also the best-knownautism rights activist.[18] In 2021, Thunberg said that many people in theFridays for Future movement are autistic, and very inclusive and welcoming. She thinks that the reason so many autistic people become climate activists is that they cannot look away, and have to tell the truth as they see it: "I know lots of people who have been depressed, and then they have joined the climate movement orFridays for Future and have found a purpose in life and found friendship and a community that they are welcome in." She considers the best things that have resulted from her activism to be friendships and happiness.[18]
For about two years, Thunberg challenged her parents to lower the family'scarbon footprint and overallimpact on the environment by becomingvegan,upcycling, andgiving up flying.[5][19][20] She has said she showed them graphs and data, but when that did not work, she warned her family that they were stealing her future.[21] Giving up flying in part meant her mother had to abandon international ventures in her opera career.[14] Interviewed in December 2019 by theBBC, her father said: "To be honest, [her mother] didn't do it to save the climate. She did it to save her child, because she saw how much it meant to her, and then, when she did that, she saw how much [Greta] grew from that, how much energy she got from it."[22] Thunberg credits her parents' eventual response and lifestyle changes with giving her hope and belief that she could make a difference.[5] Asked in September 2021 whether she felt guilty about ending her mother's international career, she was surprised by the question: "It was her choice. I didn't make her do anything. I just provided her with the information to base her decision on."[18] The family's story is recounted in the 2018 bookScenes from the Heart,[23] updated in 2020 asOur House Is on Fire: Scenes of a Family and a Planet in Crisis, with contributions from the girls, and the whole family credited as authors.[18][24]
Activism
Thunberg in front of theSwedish parliament, holding a "Skolstrejk för klimatet" (School Strike for the Climate) sign,Stockholm, August 2018
Bicycle in Stockholm with a reference to Thunberg: "Theclimate crisis must be treated as a crisis! The climate is the most important election issue!" (11 September 2018)Sign inBerlin, 14 December 2018Thunberg speaking at the annual climate conference, Austrian World Summit, 2019
After the paper published her article, Thunberg was contacted by Bo Thorén from Fossil Free Dalsland, a group interested in doing something about climate change. Thunberg attended a few of their meetings. At one of them, Thorén suggested that school children could strike for climate change.[28] Thunberg tried to persuade other young people to get involved but "no one was really interested", so eventually she decided to go ahead with the strike by herself.[5]
On 20August 2018, Thunberg, who had just started ninth grade, decided not to attend school until the2018 Swedish general election on 9September; her protest began after theheat waves andwildfires during Sweden's hottest summer in at least 262years.[14] Her demands were that the Swedish government reducecarbon emissions in accordance with theParis Agreement, and she protested by sitting outside theRiksdag every day for three weeks during school hours with the sign readingSkolstrejk för klimatet ("School strike for climate").[29][30]
Thunberg said her teachers were divided about her missing class to make her point. She says: "As people, they think what I am doing is good, but as teachers, they say I should stop."[14]
Social media activism
After Thunberg posted a photo of her first strike day onInstagram andTwitter, other social media accounts quickly took up her cause. High-profileyouth activists amplified her Instagram post, and on the second day, other activists joined her. A representative of the Finnish bankNordea quoted one of Thunberg's tweets to more than 200,000followers. Thunberg's social media profile attracted local reporters, whose stories earned international coverage in little more than a week.[31]
One Swedish climate-focused social media company was We Don't Have Time (WDHT), founded by Ingmar Rentzhog. He said her strike began attracting public attention only after he turned up with a freelance photographer and posted Thunberg's photograph on his Facebook page and Instagram account, and a video in English that he posted on the company's YouTube channel.[32] Rentzhog subsequently asked Thunberg to become an unpaid youth advisor to WDHT. He then used her name and image without her knowledge or permission to raise millions for a WDHT for-profit subsidiary, We Don't Have Time AB, of which he is the chief executive officer.[33] Thunberg stated that she received no money from the company[32] and terminated her volunteer advisor role with WDHT once she realized they were making money from her name.[34]
Throughout 2018, Thunberg's activism evolved from a solitary protest to taking part in demonstrations throughout Europe, making several high-profile public speeches, and mobilizing her followers on social media platforms. In December, after Sweden's 2018general election, Thunberg continued to school strike – but only on Fridays. She inspired school students across the globe to take part in her Friday school strikes. In December alone, more than 20,000students held strikes in at least 270cities.[35]
Thunberg spoke out against theNational Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate)2020 andJoint Entrance Examination2020 entrance exams, which were conducted in India in September. She said it was unfair for students to have to appear for exams during a global pandemic. She also said that India's students had been deeply impacted by the floods that hit states such asBihar andAssam, which caused mass destruction.[36]
On 3February 2021, Thunberg tweeted[37] her support of the ongoing2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest. Effigies of Thunberg were burned in Delhi byHindutva nationalists who opposed the farmers' protests.[38] Thunberg's tweet was criticized by theBharatiya Janata Party–led Indian government, which said that it was an internal matter.[39] In her initial tweet, Thunberg linked to a document that provided a campaigning toolkit for those who wanted to support the farmers' protest. It contained advice on hashtags and how to sign petitions, and it also included suggested actions beyond those directly linked to the farmers' protest. She soon deleted the tweet, saying the document was "outdated", and linked to a different one[40][41] "to enable anyone unfamiliar with the ongoing farmers protests in India to better understand the situation and make decisions on how to support the farmers based on their own analysis".[42][43] The Indian climate activist who edited the toolkit,Disha Ravi, was arrested under the charges ofsedition and criminal conspiracy on 16 February 2021.[44]
Thunberg's speech during theplenary session of the2018 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP24) went viral.[45] She said that the world leaders present were "not mature enough to tell it like it is".[46] In the first half of 2019, she joined various student protests around Europe, and was invited to speak at various forums and parliaments. At the January 2019World Economic Forum, Thunberg gave a speech in which she declared: "Our house is on fire."[47] She addressed theBritish,European andFrench parliaments; in the latter case severalright-wing politicians boycotted her.[48][49] In a short meeting with Thunberg,Pope Francis thanked her and encouraged her to continue her activism.[50]
By March2019, Thunberg was still staging her regular protests outside the Swedish parliament every Friday, where other students occasionally joined her. According to her father, her activism did not interfere with her schoolwork, but she had less spare time.[51] She finishedlower secondary school with excellent grades: 14As and threeBs.[52] In July2019,Time magazine reported Thunberg was taking a "sabbatical year" from school, intending to travel in the Americas while meeting people from theclimate movement on her way to attend and address2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP25).[53]
United States CongresswomanDina Titus listening to Thunberg and her fellow activists discussing the urgent need to address climate change, 2019
In August2019, Thunberg sailed across the Atlantic Ocean fromPlymouth, England, to New York City, in the 60-foot (18 m) racing yachtMalizia II, equipped withsolar panels and underwaterturbines. The trip was announced as acarbon-neutraltransatlantic crossing serving as a demonstration of Thunberg's declared beliefs of the importance of reducing emissions.[54] The voyage took 15days, from 14 to 28August 2019.France 24 reported that several crew members would fly to New York to sail theMalizia II yacht back to Europe.[55] On Thunberg's return voyage aboard theLa Vagabonde catamaran, she was quoted that she chose sailing as a way to send a message to the world that there is no real sustainable option to travel across the oceans.[56] While in the United States, Thunberg was invited to give testimony in theUS House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis on 18 September. Instead of testifying, she gave an eight-sentence statement and submitted theIPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C as evidence.[57]
UN Climate Action Summit
At the UN 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 all come to us young people for hope.How dare you! You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. And yet I'm one of the lucky ones. People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth.How dare you!
Together, the group announced they had made an official complaint against five nations that were not on track to meet the emission reduction targets they committed to in their Paris Agreement pledges: Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, andTurkey.[61][62] The complaint challenged these countries under the Third Optional Protocol to theConvention on the Rights of the Child. The Protocol is a quasi-judicial mechanism that allows children or their representatives, who believe their rights have been violated, to bring a complaint before the relevant "treaty body", the Committee on the Rights of the Child.[63] If the complaint succeeds, the countries will be asked to respond, but any suggestions are not legally binding.[64][65]
Autumn global climate strikes
In late September2019, Thunberg entered Canada where she participated in climate protests inMontreal,Edmonton andVancouver, including leading a climate rally as part of the 27September 2019Global Climate Strike in Montreal.[66] The school strikes for climate on 20 and 27September 2019 were attended by over four million people, according to one of the co-organisers.[67] Hundreds of thousands took part in the protest, described as the largest in the city's history. The mayor of Montreal gave her the Freedom of the City award. Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau was in attendance, and Thunberg spoke briefly with him.[68]
While in the United States, Thunberg participated in climate protests in New York City with Alexandria Villaseñor andXiye Bastida; in Washington, D.C., withJerome Foster II;Iowa City; Los Angeles;Charlotte;Denver withHaven Coleman; and theStanding Rock Indian Reservation withTokata Iron Eyes. In various cities, Thunberg's keynote speech began by acknowledging that she was standing on land that originally belonged toIndigenous peoples, saying: "In acknowledging the enormous injustices inflicted upon these people, we must also mention the many enslaved and indentured servants whose labour the world still profits from today."[69][70]
Participation at COP25
Thunberg had intended to remain in the Americas to travel overland to attend the2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP25) originally planned in Santiago, Chile, in December. However, it was announced on short notice that COP25 was to be moved to Madrid, Spain, because ofserious public unrest in Chile.[71] Thunberg has refused to fly because of the carbon emissions from air travel, so she posted on social media that she needed a ride across the Atlantic Ocean. Riley Whitelum and his wife, Elayna Carausu, two Australians who had been sailing around the world aboard their 48-foot (15 m) catamaranLa Vagabonde, offered to take her. On 13November 2019, Thunberg set sail fromHampton, Virginia, for Lisbon, Portugal. Her departing message was the same as it has been since she began her activism: "My message to the Americans is the same as to everyone – that is to unite behind the science and to act on the science."[72][73][74]
Thunberg arrived in thePort of Lisbon on 3December 2019,[75][76] then travelled on toMadrid to speak at COP25 and to participate with the localFridays for Future climate strikers. During a press conference before the march, she called for more "concrete action", arguing that the global wave of school strikes over the previous year had "achieved nothing" becausegreenhouse gas emissions were still rising – by 4% since 2015.[77][78]
Further activism in Europe and end of sabbatical year
Thunberg addressing theEuropean Parliament's Environment Committee about the European Climate Law, 4 March 2020
Thunberg is at the far right of the picture.
Thunberg wasguest editor of the BBC Radio's flagship current affairs programme, theToday Programme in late 2019.[79] It featured interviews on climate change withSir David Attenborough,Bank of England chiefMark Carney,Massive Attack's Robert Del Naja, andShell Oil executive Maarten Wetselaar, and was released as a podcast[80] containing these interviews and other highlights. A month later, she called on German companySiemens to stop the delivery of railway equipment to the controversialCarmichael coal mine, operated by a subsidiary of Indian companyAdani Group in Australia,[81] but on 13January, Siemens said that it would continue to honour its contract with Adani.[82]
Thunberg returned to theWorld Economic Forum held inDavos, Switzerland, on 21January 2020. She delivered two speeches, and participated in panel discussions hosted byThe New York Times and the World Economic Forum. Thunberg used many of the themes contained in her previous speeches, but focused on one in particular: "Our house is still on fire." Thunberg joked that she cannot complain about not being heard, saying: "I am being heard all the time."[83][84][85] The next month, she travelled toOxford University to meetMalala Yousafzai, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning Pakistani activist for female education who had been shot in the head by theTaliban as a schoolgirl. Thunberg was later to join a school strike inBristol.[86] She also attended an extraordinary meeting of theEuropean Parliament's Environment Committee to talk about the European Climate Law. There she declared that she considered the new proposal for a climate law published by theEuropean Commission to be a surrender.[87]
Thunberg ended her gap year in August 2020. Travel over the next year was restricted because of theCOVID-19 pandemic.[88][89]
Activism from 2020 to 2021
In early 2020, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic causedworldwide implementation ofmitigation measures, includingsocial distancing,quarantine, andface coverings.[90] On 13March 2020, Thunberg stated that "In a crisis we change our behavior and adapt to the new circumstances for the greater good of society." Thunberg andSchool Strike for Climate subsequently moved their activities online.[91][92] On 20 August 2020, the second anniversary of Thunberg's first strike, Thunberg and fellow climate activistsLuisa Neubauer,Anuna de Wever van der Heyden andAdélaïde Charlier met with German ChancellorAngela Merkel in Berlin.[93] They subsequently announced plans for another global climate strike on 25September 2020. Neubauer said that whether the strike in September is virtual in nature or in the streets would be determined by the pandemic situation. At a joint press conference with fellow activists echoing her sentiment, Neubauer said: "The climate crisis doesn't pause."[94]
On 14December 2020, Thunberg used Twitter to criticize theNew Zealand Labour Government's recentclimate change emergency declaration as "virtue signalling", tweeting that New Zealand's Labour Government had only committed to reducing less than one percent of New Zealand's carbon emissions by 2025.[95][96] In response, New Zealand Prime MinisterJacinda Ardern and climate change MinisterJames Shaw defended New Zealand's climate change declaration as only the start of the country's climate change mitigation goals.[96][97] On 29December 2020, during aBBC interview, Thunberg said that climate experts are not being listened to despite the COVID-19 pandemic highlighting the importance of using science to address such issues. She added that the COVID-19 crisis had "shone a light" on how "we cannot make it without science".[98]
Thunberg with a megaphone leading an event in Berlin, 2021
Thunberg and other climate activists launched the annualClimate Live concert to highlight climate change. Their first concert was held in April2021.[99] In May2021, she addressed the COVID-19 crisis again, when she urged a change in the food production system and the protection of animals and their habitats. Thunberg's comments, which came amidst calls for meat-free alternatives, also addressed health concerns regarding animal welfare and the environment. Thunberg said that the way humans are destroying habitats are the perfect conditions for the spread of diseases and notedzoonotic illnesses such as COVID-19, Zika, Ebola, West Nile fever, SARS, MERS, among others.[100] In July2021, Thunberg received herCOVID vaccine, saying: "I am extremely grateful and privileged to be able to live in a part of the world where I can already get vaccinated. The vaccine distribution around the world is extremely unequal. No one is safe until everyone is safe. But when you get offered a vaccine, don't hesitate. It saves lives."[101]
The inaugural edition ofVogue Scandinavia (August–September 2021) had a cover photograph of Thunberg shot by Swedish photography and conservationist duo Iris and Mattias Alexandrov Klum and an interview with her.[102] The cover shows Thunberg wearing a trench coat while sitting with anIcelandic horse in a woodland outside Stockholm.[102] In the interview, Thunberg criticized the promotional campaigns the fashion industry uses to appear sustainable without "actually doing anything to protect the environment" and called the campaigns "greenwashing".[103] On the same day, she used Twitter to criticize the fashion industry as "a huge contributor" to the climate and ecological "emergency" and "not to mention its impact on the countless workers and communities who are being exploited around the world in order for some to enjoyfast fashion that many treat as disposables".[104] Thunberg's wearing ofwool during the photoshoot garnered criticism from other vegans, who said it promoted animal cruelty. According toPeople for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), she was unaware that the clothing was made of real animal-derived wool.[105]
On 28September 2021, Thunberg criticized U.S. presidentJoe Biden, British prime ministerBoris Johnson, Indian prime ministerNarendra Modi and other world leaders over their promises to address the climate crisis in a speech at the Youth4Climate Summit inMilan.[106] Thunberg also criticized and doubted organizers of climate conferences, saying, "They invite cherry-picked young people to meetings like this to pretend they are listening to us. But they are not."[107] A month later, Thunberg took part in a protest in London, demanding that the financial system stop funding companies and projects that usefossil fuels, such as coal, oil and natural gas.[108] The protest in London is part of a series taking place at the financial centres around the world, including New York City, San Francisco andNairobi, Kenya.[108] She told the BBC journalistAndrew Marr that banks should "stop funding our destruction", ahead of the coming climate summit.[108] At the2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Thunberg attended a panel on climate change hosted by British actressEmma Watson.[109]
In November2021, Thunberg, along with other climate activists, filed a petition to the United Nations, calling it to declare a level 3 globalclimate emergency, with the aim of creating a special team that will coordinate the response to the climate crisis at an international level.[110] In December2021, Thunberg reiterated her criticism of U.S. president Joe Biden, saying, "If you call him a leader – I mean, it's strange that people think of Joe Biden as a leader for the climate when you see what his administration is doing", alluding to the United States expansions on use of fossil fuels during the Biden administration. Thunberg further lamented that activists and teenagers are needed to bring awareness about climate change.[111]
Activism from 2022 to early 2023
In early 2022, Thunberg condemned the British firmBeowulf and its mining of iron onSámi land. She said, "We believe that the climate, the environment, clean air, water, reindeer herding, indigenous rights and the future of humanity should be prioritized above the short-term profit of a company. The Swedish government needs to stop the colonization of Sami."[112] Following theinvasion of Ukraine by Russian military forces, she combined her usual Friday climate protests to include opposing the invasion. She stood outside the Russian embassy in Stockholm holding a sign that read "Stand With Ukraine".[113] On 29 June 2023, Thunberg met with Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy and other prominent European figures to form a working group to address ecological damage from the 16-month-old Russian invasion.[114]
Thunberg criticized theEuropean Parliament in 2022 for voting to label fossil gas and nuclear energy as "green" energy. She called that decision "hypocrisy", and stated that "This will delay a desperately needed real sustainable transition and deepen our dependency on Russian fuels. The hypocrisy is striking, but unfortunately not surprising."[115] In November, Thunberg, along with over 600young people from a youth-led Swedish activist groupAuroramålet, filed a lawsuit in a Stockholm district court against the Swedish government for climate inaction within Sweden. TheNacka District Court subsequently allowed the class action lawsuit that posits Sweden has an "insufficient climate policy" to proceed.[116]
In late 2022,The Climate Book was released.[117] The book, written by Thunberg, is a compilation in which she brought together over one hundred experts – geophysicists, oceanographers and meteorologists; engineers, economists and mathematicians; historians, philosophers and indigenous leaders – who wrote essays focusing on changes to the Earth's climate. Thunberg also contributed writings to the book and is credited as its author. She donated her copyright and all royalties generated by the book to her foundation[118][119] and will not personally profit from sales or other commercial uses. While on her 2022midterm break from school, Thunberg embarked on a publicity campaign[120] for the book's initial release; it is published underPenguin'sAllen Lane Imprint books.[121] An extract fromThe Climate Book and reviews are available.[122][123][124][125]
In January 2023, Thunberg spoke during a protest inLützerath, calling on the German authorities to stop the expansion of a nearby coal mine.[126] She was detained along with other activists by German police while demonstrating at the opencast coal mine ofGarzweiler 2, around 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) from the village on 17January, after police warned the group that they would be detained unless they moved away from the edge of the mine. The mine's ownerRWE had earlier agreed with the government on demolishing Lützerath in exchange for a faster exit from coal and the saving of five villages originally slated for destruction. She was released the same day after an identity check.[127]
Post-high school graduation
Thunberg graduated from high school in June 2023 and marked the day by attending what would be her last school strike for climate protest before receiving her diploma. She wore the Swedish traditional graduation white dress and whitestudentmössa (cap) to the protest, and vowed to continue, saying that her "fight has only just begun".[128][129] In Thunberg's subsequent protest pictures on social media, some of the group photos have featured "School Strike for Climate" signage. Later in the year, she began a bachelor's program atStockholm University.[130]
In June 2023, Thunberg took part in a Reclaim the Future protest inMalmö, Sweden, and was charged with disobeying a police order.[131] A trial was held atMalmö District Court where the prosecution presented its case against Thunberg for disobedience to authority after having disrupted traffic and refusing to follow police orders. While she acknowledged that the facts of the case against her were accurate, Thunberg said that due to the existential and global threat to the climate caused by the fossil fuel industry, her protest was a form of self-defence. She was sentenced by the court to pay fines totalingSEK 2,500 (equivalent to US$240).[132] Within hours after the court convicted her, Thunberg attended a similar protest where Reclaim the Future again blocked oil tankers on a road in Malmö. She was again forcibly removed by police and later criminally charged. A second Swedish trial for disobedience (disobeying a police order to disperse) took place in October. She was found guilty for the earlier incident and ordered to pay fines totalingSEK 4,500 (equivalent to $414).[133]
Thunberg cancelled an appearance at theEdinburgh International Book Festival in August to promote her book:The Climate Book. She said that as a climate activist she could not attend an event sponsored byBaillie Gifford – an investment management firm – due to its connections with the fossil fuel industry.[134] In making the announcement, the festival's Nick Barley said that he was disappointed but respected Thunberg's decision. "I share Greta's view that in all areas of society the rate of progress is not enough." He went on to say: "The book festival exists to give a platform for debate and discussion around key issues affecting humanity today – including the climate emergency ... We strongly believe that Baillie Gifford are part of the solution to the climate emergency."[135] In its response, Baillie Gifford said that it was not a significant fossil fuel investor, with 2% of its clients' money being invested in companies with some business related to fossil fuels while the market average was 11%.[136]
Thunberg was arrested in London that October for her part in protesting against the Energy Intelligence Forum, described as the "Oscars of oil".[137] She was charged with failure to comply with a lawful order to disperse, a "condition imposed under Section14 of thePublic Order Act". She appeared atWestminster Magistrates' Court and entered a plea of "not guilty".[138][139] Early the following year, the case was dismissed by the presiding judge after the prosecution rested. The judge agreed with the defence that "the crown had failed to present enough evidence to prove their case".[140]
In April 2024, Thunberg participated in anExtinction Rebellion–led protest inThe Hague where law enforcement forcibly removed her from blocking a road. She then joined another group of Extinction Rebellion protesters who were blocking a different road and was again removed. The BBC and some other media outlets reported that Thunberg was arrested while some media outlets only mention that she was detained. It is unclear whether criminal charges were – or will be – filed.[141][142][143] Shortly afterwards, she was charged withcivil disobedience for allegedly ignoring police orders to leave two climate demonstrations which law enforcement claim were blocking Sweden's parliament building in March. Her refusal to comply with police orders caused her to be forcibly removed. Thunberg entered a plea of not guilty.[144] A Swedish court convicted her and she was finedkr 6,000 (equivalent to US$550). Thunberg was also ordered to pay an additional kr 1,000 (equivalent to US$92) in damages.[145]
Thunberg wearing akeffiyeh in solidarity with Palestine at an event inAmsterdam in 2023
On 20 October 2023, Thunberg posted a photo during her usual Friday climate protests, showing her and three other protesters holding signs. One sign read "climate justice now" and the other three displayed support for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip amidst theGaza war. Her posts on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram also included fourteen links to "Palestine solidarity" social media accounts where, she said, "you can find information on how you can help."[150] Thunberg was immediately criticized for not condemning theOctober 7 attacks.[151] The following day Thunberg posted "It goes without saying – or so I thought – that I'm against the horrific attacks by Hamas. As I said, 'the world needs to speak up and call for an immediate ceasefire, justice and freedom for Palestinians and all civilians affected.'" TheIsraeli Ministry of Education responded to Thunberg's initial "statements in support of Gaza without condemning Hamas" by removing "various references in the educational curriculum that present Thunberg as a role model and a source of inspiration for youth".[152]
In December 2023, Thunberg, along with three researchers and activists affiliated with Fridays for Future Sweden, published an opinion piece inThe Guardian titled "We won't stop speaking out about Gaza's suffering – there is no climate justice without human rights." The piece set out her and FFF Sweden's support forPalestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip amidst the Gaza war. The article stated that "All Fridays for Future groups are autonomous, and this article represents the views of nobody but FFF Sweden."[153] They also addressed the criticism that Fridays for Future has been radicalized and is engaging in politics by stating that the organisation has always been political because it is a movement for justice. FFF Sweden believes that "means speaking up when people suffer, are forced to flee their homes or are killed – regardless of the cause".[153] Fridays for Future International while not taking a side in conflicts, does take an anti-war stance – it issued an appeal stating that stopping the ecological crisis requires peace and disarmament as it requires stopping overconsumption and GDP directly feeds military potential. 24 organizations includingScientist Rebellion as well as 61 scientists includingMichael Meeropol andDon Trent Jacobs endorsed the appeal.[154]
Thunberg was detained by Swedish police for taking part in a pro-Palestinian protest outsideMalmö Arena in May, which was hosting theEurovision Song Contest 2024, and subsequently released a statement opposingIsrael's participation in the contest.[155] In September, Danish police apprehended Thunberg during a pro-Palestinian protest in Copenhagen against the Gaza war. Thunberg, along with five others, was detained after blocking the entrance to a building at theUniversity of Copenhagen.[156] Less than a week later, she was "carried out" from the library ofStockholm University by Stockholm police after she participated in an encampment inside the library. She characterized the police response as a "repression".[157] Following those incidents, she was labeled "antisemite of the week" byStopAntisemitism.[158][159] While speaking at a pro-Palestine rally in the German city ofMannheim in December, Thunberg said "Fuck Germany and fuck Israel." In response, localCDU politicianManuel Hagel accused Thunberg of "moving very consciously in close proximity to anti-Semitism".[160] Reflecting on her pro-Palestine activism, Thunberg stated:[161]
For me, it hasn't been solely about the climate at all. The media often wants to simplify things, like 'she's the one who works on climate.' They want to put a face to the issue. I mean, we're talking about climate justice. All forms of justice are included within climate justice. In the last year, when I started getting involved in Palestinian activism, that view has shifted.
On December 23, 2025, Thunberg was arrested byCity of London police for holding a placard, during a demonstration in support of pro-Palestinian activists, who were undertaking a hunger strike while they wereRemanded in custody in the United Kingdom prison system.[164][165][166] The protest group l, Prisoners for Palestine released footage showing Thunberg holding a placard reading, "I support Palestine Action prisoners. I oppose genocide," referencing the ongoing war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. She was later released on bail while the police investigate offences contrary to Section 13 of theTerrorism Act 2000.[167][168][164]
In October 2023, Israel intensified itsongoing blockade of the Gaza Strip after the 7 October attacks, by announcing a "total blockade" of imports including food, water, medicine, fuel and electricity,[169][170] whichAmnesty International and Thunburg have described as systematic starvation andgenocide,[171][172][173] and resulted in increased global scrutiny and criticism of Israel's actions.[174][175] Various international efforts to break the blockade have been made by flotillas of small private vessels with the goal todeliver humanitarian aid. Flotilla organizers have argued that Israel's intentions are a violation of theGeneva Conventions against intentionally starving civilians, while Israel has argued that its blockades had been declared legal by a United Nations panel of inquiry in 2011 because their intent was to prevent Hamas from smuggling weapons into Gaza.[176]
In May 2025, Thunberg planned to join aGaza Freedom Flotilla at a Maltese port. The plans were cancelled when one of the vessels, theConscience, wasattacked by drones in international waters off the coast of Malta before it could dock, setting it on fire and breaching its hull.[171]
A month later, she joined theJune 2025 Gaza Freedom Flotilla aboard the UK-flagged vesselMadleen.[174][175] It was organized by theFreedom Flotilla Coalition, a group with 15-year history of similar missions, many of which were intercepted by Israeli forces. The initiative aimed to challenge Israel’s naval blockade and deliver humanitarian supplies.[177] Among the flotilla's leadership wasZaher Birawi, a Palestinian‑British activist described in various reports as a key organizer. Documents cited by Israeli authorities also listed Birawi as a primary figure in the coalition's efforts.[178][179]
Also aboard were high-profile figures including activistThiago Ávila and MEPRima Hassan, the latter previously barred from Israel for her pro-Palestinian stance;[174][175] initially, actorLiam Cunningham was also meant to embark.[citation needed] In the early morning on 9 June,Madleen was boarded by theIsrael Defense Forces ininternational waters,[180] under the orders of IsraelDefense MinisterIsrael Katz.[174] This came after accusations from the crew on the board of harassment from Israeli ships and drones. At 3:34AM (GMT+3), a video from Thunberg was posted to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition X (Twitter) account, recorded in advance in the case that the ship was seized before reaching Gaza. Shortly after, Israel'sMinistry of Foreign Affairs stated that the boat had been seized and was being taken to theAshdod port.[180] She was deported from Israel the day after.[181] In an interview, Thunberg said it was "a bit unclear" why she was released while others remained detained, and that they had not entered the country illegally.[182] Remarking on Thunberg's aid effort, Trump described her as "strange" and "angry". Upon arriving in Paris following her deportation from Israel, Thunberg responded, "I think the world needs a lot more young angry women, to be honest. Especially with everything going on right now."[183]
Following the Israeli capture of theGaza Freedom Flotilla in July 2025, Thunberg joined theGlobal Sumud Flotilla. She said that she and some others had signed a document stating they wished to leave Israel as soon as possible to take part in the Sumud Flotilla, which set sail fromBarcelona on 31 August to begin its journey to Gaza.[184][185][186] According to its crew, the Madleen was carrying a "symbolic amount of aid",[187][188] and was intercepted by Israeli special forces on 1 October 2025 in international waters, approximately 70 nautical miles (≈115 km) off the Gaza coast.[189] A total of 45 vessels were seized and 462 activists were detained between 1–3 October 2025, bringing an end to what is considered the largest civilian effort to break the siege of Gaza.[190][191][192] According toThe Times, detainees from the flotilla are believed to be held at the notoriousKtzi'ot Prison while awaiting deportation.[193][194] Several released activists and organizations have said that Thunberg was mistreated while detained, including that she was beaten, paraded while draped in an Israeli flag and held in bedbug-infested conditions with insufficient food and water. Israeli authorities denied the allegations.[190][195] On 6 October 2025, Thunberg was deported together with other activists,[196] arriving in Sweden the next day.[197] She stated that she and other participants in the Gaza flotilla were tortured while held in an Israeli prison, though she noted that their mistreatment was minor compared with what civilians in Gaza endure on a daily basis. Israel's foreign ministry has repeatedly rejected allegations of mistreatment.[198] According to Israeli detention court records Greta did not report any personal mistreatment during her detention.[199]
The day after her deportation, Thunberg posted to Instagram about the mistreatment of Palestinian inmates in Israeli prisons. One of the photos used in the post was of an emaciatedEvyatar David,an Israeli hostage held by Hamas, suggesting he is a Palestinian prisoner suffering in an Israeli prison. David's family and others condemned Thunberg for the misleading use of the photo and called on her to take it down.[200]
Boycott of COP29
Thunberg's protest in front of the UN office in Yerevan, Armenia, 16 November 2024
Thunberg boycottedCOP29, hosted in 2024 inAzerbaijan by the regime of autocratic leaderIlham Aliyev, due tohuman rights violations andethnic cleansing of Armenians in the disputedNagorno-Karabakh, and instead visited neighboring Georgia and Armenia.[201] While in Georgia, she joined a politicaldemonstration againstGeorgia's government inTbilisi, stating: "I am here to express my support and solidarity to all activists and citizens who are coming forward to defend their fundamental rights such as freedom, justice and democracy."[202] In an interview, she said that "The only thing that will come out of [COP29] is loopholes, more negotiations, and symbolic decisions that look good on paper but are really just greenwashing."[161]
She then visitedArmenia, where she argued that "We need to stop hosting climate conferences in places like Azerbaijan, a country that is repressing its own population to an extreme degree."[203] At a demonstration in front of the United Nations delegation headquarters inYerevan, she stated "We urge international media and those in power who are inBaku to go and visit Armenian hostages and demand an immediate release to all political prisoners, prisoners of war and hostages."[204][201][205] While in Armenia, she also visitedPink Armenia, which stated "We extend our gratitude to Greta Thunberg for raising Armenia's critical issues on international platforms and for showing her solidarity with the LGBT+ movement".[206] She also visited theArmenian Genocide memorial in Yerevan, stating, "Now it's up to each and everyone of us to continue spread awareness and demand justice. Never again for anyone."[207]
COP30 protest
On 24 November 2025, Thunberg and 35 other activists of theExtinction Rebellion group dyedVenice'sGrand Canal bright green as part of a climate protest. She was banned from the city for 48 hours and fined €150 (about $172).Luca Zaia,President of Veneto, accused Thunberg and the other activists of "risk[ing] ... consequences for the environment." The activists said that the dye they used was environmentally harmless. The protest was timed to coincide with the conclusion of theCOP30 climate conference inBrazil.[208][209]
Position on climate change
A video of Thunberg speaking at the 2019World Economic Forum in DavosThunberg delivering a speech at a July 2019 school strike for climate change in Berlin
Thunberg states that humanity is facinga crisis that could threaten its very existence because of global warming[210] and holds thebaby boomers, and each subsequent generation, responsible for creating and perpetuating detrimental changes to the Earth's climate.[211] She uses graphic analogies (such as "our house is on fire") to highlight her concerns and often speaks bluntly to business and political leaders about their failure to take concerted action.[212][213]
Thunberg has said that climate change will have a disproportionate effect on young people, whose futures will be profoundly affected. She argues that her generation may not have a future any more because "that future was sold so that a small number of people could make unimaginable amounts of money."[214] She also has said that people in theGlobal South will suffer most from climate change, even though they have contributed least in terms of carbon dioxide emissions.[215] Thunberg has voiced support for other young activists from developing countries who are already facing the damagingeffects of climate change. Speaking in Madrid in December 2019, she said: "We talk about our future, they talk about their present."[216]
Speaking at international forums, she berates world leaders because she believes that too little action is being taken to reduce global emissions.[217] She says that lowering emissions is not enough, that emissions need to be reduced to zero if the world is to keep global warming to less than 1.5 °C. Speaking to theBritish Parliament in April 2019, she said: "The fact that we are speaking of 'lowering' instead of 'stopping' emissions is perhaps the greatest force behind the continuing business as usual."[218][219] To take the necessary action, she added that politicians should not listen to her, they should listen to what the scientists are saying about how to address the crisis.[220][218] According to political scientists Mattia Zulianello and Diego Ceccobelli, Thunberg's ideas can be defined as technocratic ecocentrism, which is grounded on "the exaltation of the vox scientifica".[221]
More specifically, Thunberg has argued that commitments made at the Paris Agreement are insufficient to limit global warming to 1.5 °C, and that the greenhouse gas emissions curve needs to start declining steeply no later than 2020 – as detailed in the IPCC'sSpecial Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C published in 2018.[222][214] In February 2019, at a conference of theEuropean Economic and Social Committee, she said that the EU's current intention to cut emissions by 40% by 2030 is "not sufficient to protect the future for children growing up today" and that the EU must reduce their CO2 emissions by 80%, double the 40% goal.[223][224]
Thunberg reiterated her views on political inaction in a November2020 interview where she stated that "leaders are happy to set targets for decades ahead, but flinch when immediate action is needed."[225] She criticized theEuropean Green Deal, which aims to make the European Unioncarbon neutral by 2050,[226] saying that it "sends a strong signal that real and sufficient action is being taken when in fact it's not. Nature doesn't bargain, and you cannot make deals with physics."[227]
In July2020, Thunberg,Luisa Neubauer,Anuna De Wever andAdélaïde Charlier wrote an open letter to all EU leaders and heads of state stating they must "advocate to makeecocide an international crime at the International Criminal Court."[228][229] In June2023, Thunberg called the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in Ukraine by Russia an ecocide and called for prosecution, stating "Russia needs to be held accountable for their action and for their crimes. The eyes of the world are on them now".[230][231]
In an interview shortly before the2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Thunberg, asked how optimistic she was that the conference could achieve anything, responded, "Nothing has changed from previous years, really. The leaders will say, 'we'll do this and we'll do this, and we will put our forces together and achieve this', and then they will do nothing. Maybe some symbolic things and creative accounting and things that don't really have a big impact. We can have as many COPs as we want, but nothing real will come out of it."[18] She called Chinese presidentXi Jinping "a leader of a dictatorship" and said that "democracy is the only solution to the climate crisis, since the only thing that could get us out of this situation is ... massive public pressure."[232]
On 30October 2021, she arrived atGlasgow Central station for the COP26. She spoke at some protests during the COP and marched in a Fridays for Future Scotland climate strike on Friday 5 November; she said in an earlier interview that the public needed to "uproot the system".[233] She delivered aspeech to protesters in which she described COP26 as a failure, speaking of "blah blah blah" and greenwashing.[234]
Public response and impact
Academics
In February 2019, 224 academics signed an open letter of support, stating that they were inspired by Thunberg's actions and by the schoolchildren who went on strike to make their voices heard.[235] This support from academics, including many scientists, is in sharp contrast with the opposition Thunberg usually receives from politicians.[236]
Politicians
Thunberg has met with many politicians and world leaders but said she could not think of a single politician who has impressed her. Asked about New Zealand Prime MinisterJacinda Ardern, who described the climate crisis as a matter of life or death, Thunberg commented, "It's funny that people believe Jacinda Ardern and people like that are climate leaders. That just tells you how little people know about the climate crisis." Thunberg says that she ignores words and sentiments: "Obviously the emissions haven't fallen. It goes without saying that these people are not doing anything." In fact, New Zealand's greenhouse-gas emissions had increased by 2% in 2019.[6]
United Nations Secretary-GeneralAntónio Guterres endorsed the school strikes initiated by Thunberg, admitting: "My generation has failed to respond properly to the dramatic challenge of climate change. This is deeply felt by young people. No wonder they are angry."[237] Speaking at an event in New Zealand in May 2019, Guterres said his generation was "not winning the battle against climate change" and that it was up to the youth to "rescue the planet".[238]
Thunberg urgesMEPs to show climate leadership, receives standing ovation, 2020.
Thunberg and her campaign have been criticized by politicians as well, ranging from personal attacks to statements that she oversimplifies the complex issues involved. Among them are the Australian prime ministerScott Morrison,[241] German chancellorAngela Merkel,[242] French presidentEmmanuel Macron,[243] Russian presidentVladimir Putin,[244]OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) and, repeatedly, U.S. presidentDonald Trump.[245]
In September2019, Trump shared a video of Thunberg angrily addressing world leaders, along with her quote that "people are dying, entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of amass extinction." Trump wrote about Thunberg, tweeting: "She seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see!" Thunberg reacted by changing her Twitter bio to match his description, and stating that she could not "understand why grown-ups would choose to mock children and teenagers for just communicating and acting on the science when they could do something good instead."[246] In December 2019, Trump again mocked Thunberg after she was named Person of the Year for 2019 byTime, tweeting: "So ridiculous. Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill!"[247] Thunberg responded by changing her Twitter biography to: "A teenager working on her anger management problem. Currently chilling and watching a good old fashioned movie with a friend."[248] During the2020 United States presidential election, Thunberg commented on Trump tweeting "Stop the count!" with the text: "So ridiculous. Donald must work on his Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Donald, Chill!"[249][250]
In October2019, Putin described Thunberg as a "kind girl and very sincere", while suggesting she was being manipulated to serve others' interests. Putin criticized her as "poorly informed", adding, "No one has explained to Greta that the modern world is complex and different and people in Africa or in many Asian countries want to live at the same wealth level as in Sweden." Similar to her reaction to Trump, Thunberg updated her Twitter bio to reflect Putin's description of her.[251] In December 2019, Thunberg tweeted: "Indigenous people are literally being murdered for trying to protect the forest from illegaldeforestation. Over and over again. It is shameful that the world remains silent about this." When asked about this subject two days later, then Brazilian presidentJair Bolsonaro responded, "Greta said that the Indians were dying because they were trying to protect theAmazon. It is impressive how the press gives voice to such a brat." On the same day, Thunberg changed her Twitter description topirralha, the Portuguese word for'brat' used by Bolsonaro.[252][253]
In aTime story published in May2019, Thunberg addressed the criticism she has received online, saying, "It's quite hilarious when the only thing people can do is mock you, or talk about your appearance or personality, as it means they have no argument or nothing else to say."[254] Former U.S. vice president and Trump's eventual successorJoe Biden responded to Trump's mockery of Thunberg after she was named theTime's Person of the Year 2019 by tweeting at Trump: "What kind of president bullies a teenager? @realDonaldTrump, you could learn a few things from Greta on what it means to be a leader."[255]
Arron Banks's Twitter post saying that "freak yachting accidents do happen in August" in reference to Thunberg, outraged a number of British MPs (Members of Parliament), celebrities, and academics.Tanja Bueltmann, founder of EU Citizens' Champion, said Banks had "invoked the drowning of a child" for his own amusement and said that most of those attacking Thunberg "are white middle-aged men from the right of the political spectrum".[261] Writing inThe Guardian,Gaby Hinsliff said Thunberg has become "the new front in the Brexit culture war", arguing that the outrage generated by personal attacks on Thunberg by Brexiteers "gives them the welcome oxygen of publicity".[262]
In September2019,Nick Gillespie wrote inReason that "Greta Thunberg's histrionics are likely heartfelt but neither they nor the deplorable responses they conjure are a guide forward to good environmental policy in a world that is getting richer every day."[263] In August2021, Yasmeen Serhan wrote inThe Atlantic that Thunberg had become "the target of a barrage of disinformation and conspiracies" from the far-right andpopulist right, "including depictions of her as a spoiled child, a leftist pawn, and even aNazi".[264]
In summarizing Thunberg's global impact on the climate debate, the BBC encapsulated her influence: "she is credited with raising public awareness of climate change across the world, especially amongst young people. Many commentators call this 'the Greta effect'".[265]
In response to her outspoken stance, various politicians have also acknowledged the need to focus on climate change. Britain's secretary for the environment,Michael Gove, said, "When I listened to you, I felt great admiration, but also responsibility and guilt. I am of your parents' generation, and I recognise that we haven't done nearly enough to address climate change and the broader environmental crisis that we helped to create." Labour politicianEd Miliband, who was responsible for introducing theClimate Change Act 2008, said, "You have woken us up. Thank you. All the young people who have gone on strike have held up a mirror to our society ... you have taught us all a really important lesson. You have stood out from the crowd."[266]
In February2019, Thunberg shared a stage with the President of the European CommissionJean-Claude Juncker where he outlined: "In the next financial period from 2021 to 2027, every fourth euro spent within the EU budget will go towards action to mitigate climate change."[267] Climate issues also played a significant role inEuropean Parliament election in May 2019,[268] as Green parties recorded their best ever results,[269] boosting their MEP seat numbers from 52 to 72.[270] Many of the gains came from northern European countries where young people have taken to the streets inspired by Thunberg.[269]
In June 2019, aYouGov poll in Britain found that public concern about the environment had soared to record levels in the UK since Thunberg and Extinction Rebellion had "pierced the bubble of denial".[271] In August2019, publication and sales of children's books about the climate crisis reportedly doubled compared to the previous year. Publishers attribute this to the "Greta effect".[272] An increase in searching for 'Climate Crisis' and similar climate related terms on Google has been linked to the Greta effect.[273]
Inspired by Thunberg, wealthy philanthropists and investors from the United States have donated aboutUS$600,000[275] to support Extinction Rebellion and school strike groups to establish the Climate Emergency Fund.[276][277][278]Trevor Neilson, one of the philanthropists, said the three founders would be contacting friends among the global mega-rich to donate "a hundred times" more in the weeks and months ahead.[275] In December2019, theNew Scientist described the impact made by Thunberg and Extinction Rebellion with the headline: "The year the world woke up to climate change."[279]
According to a 2021study, "those who are more familiar with Greta Thunberg have higher intentions of taking collective actions to reduce global warming and that stronger collective efficacy beliefs mediate this relationship. This association between familiarity with Greta Thunberg, collective efficacy beliefs, and collective action intentions is present even after accounting for respondents' overall support for climate activism."[280]
Thunberg has spearheaded the anti-flying movement, promoting rail travel over flying on environmental grounds.[281] The buzzword associated with this movement isflight shame.[282][283] It is a phenomenon in which people feel social pressure not to fly because of the rising greenhouse gas emissions of the airline industry. It was originally championed by Swedish Olympic athleteBjörn Ferry, but has gained significant momentum after Thunberg's refusal to fly on environmental grounds. Thunberg backed the campaign to fly less and made it part of her 2019"awareness tour" in Europe.[284]
Sweden reported a 4% drop in domestic air travel for 2019 and an increase in rail use. The BBC says that the movement could halve the growth of global air travel, but Airbus and Boeing say that they still expect to grow at around 4% until 2035.[285][286] In June 2019,Swedish Railways (SJ) reported that the number of Swedes taking the train for domestic journeys had risen by 8% from the previous year, reflecting growing public concern about the impact of flying on CO2 emissions.[287][282]
X-Site sticker
In February2020, X-Site Energy Services of Alberta, Canada, distributed a sticker with the company's name and an image of a man grabbing the braids of a girl to rape her from behind. The girl in the image was labeled "Greta".[288] Then 17-year-old Thunberg posted about it on Twitter: "They are starting to get more and more desperate. This shows that we're winning." Although the general manager of X-Site initially said that neither X-Site nor any X-Site employee was involved in making the sticker,[289][290] X-Site Energy later apologized, admitting that they had distributed it and assumed full responsibility. The letter said that they were destroying known extant copies and making organizational changes to prevent future incidents.[291]
In popular culture and art
A multi-storey mural of Thunberg in Istanbul, Turkey
Thunberg has been depicted in popular culture and art.[292]Greta and the Giants, a book by Zoë Tucker and Zoe Persico, published byFrances Lincoln Children's Books, was inspired by the life of Thunberg.[293] Argentinian artist Andrés Iglesias unveiled an 18-meter mural of Thunberg above Mason street, near Union Square in San Francisco.[294] American painterElizabeth Peyton chose her 2019portraitGreta Thunberg as the leading image of one of her shows.[292] She has been depicted in multiplemurals. InBristol, a 15-metre-high (49 ft) mural of Thunberg by artist Jody Thomas, portrays the bottom half of her face as if underrising sea water since May 2019.[295] Thunberg was featured on theTime magazine cover in May2019 issue, where she was described as a role model[254] and one of the "Next Generation Leaders".[296] She and fifteen others were featured on the cover of the fashion magazineBritish Vogue created by guest editorMeghan, Duchess of Sussex, in September2019.[297]
Some ofThunberg's speeches have been incorporated into music. In 2019, Thunberg contributed avoiceover for a release of "The 1975", a song by theEnglish band by the same name. Thunberg finishes the song by urging: "So, everyone out there, it is now time for civil disobedience. It is time to rebel." Proceeds will go toExtinction Rebellion at Thunberg's request.[298] In September2019, John Meredith set her UN Action Summit speech to death metal.[299] The Australian musicianMegan Washington and composerRobert Davidson used the same 'how dare you' speech, for a performance at an event exploring the future of music.[300] DJFatboy Slim created a mashup of this speech with his dance hit "Right Here, Right Now".[301]
Project Pressure,Voices for the Future, projected a quote by Thunberg onto the United Nations building in New York in the lead up to theUN Climate Action Summit, 2019.
In 2019, Thunberg collaborated with the climate charityProject Pressure on an art piece projected onto theUnited Nations Secretariat Building in New York in the lead up to that year's UN Climate Action Summit featuring the voices of six young activists, including Thunberg herself. Visualised by Joseph Michael, authored byKlaus Thymann and music byBrian Eno, their commentary was on the climate crisis and the urgent actions that need to be taken to minimize its consequences.[302]
In May2020, Thunberg was featured inPearl Jam's music video "Retrograde". She appears as a fortune teller, with images in her crystal ball depicting startling effects of climate change in numerous countries.[303]
On 3September 2020, the Hulucinéma vérité-esque documentaryI Am Greta[304] had its world premiere at theVenice Film Festival. The film was directed by Nathan Grossman, who single-handedly operated the camera and sound equipment while memorializing Thunberg's climate activism "from the first solitary days of her school strike in August2018, all the way through to her two-week sea voyage across the Atlantic Ocean from Europe to New York City to attend the United Nations Climate Summit in September2019."[305][306] Following its Venice premiere, the film had its North American premiere at theToronto International Film Festival on 11September 2020,[307] and opened in cinemas across Europe, North America and Australia in October.[308]
Thunberg has received honours and awards over the course of her activism. In May 2018, before the start of her school strike, she was one of the winners of aclimate change essay competition bySvenska Dagbladet (The Swedish Daily News) for young people.[27] Thunberg has refused to attend ceremonies or accept prizes if it requires her to fly, such as for theInternational Children's Peace Prize.[311] She has received prizes from various non-governmental organisations but also from scientific institutions that lauded her success in raising awareness.[312][313]
Time's 25 most influential teens of 2018, December2018, an annual list compiled byTime magazine of the most influential teenagers in the world that year.[314]
Fryshuset scholarship, 2018, for Young Role Model of the Year.[315]
Rachel Carson Prize, March 2019, awarded to a woman who has distinguished herself in outstanding work for the environment in Norway or internationally.[322][323]
Goldene Kamera film and television awards, March 2019, special Climate Action Award. Thunberg dedicated the prize to the activists protesting against the destruction of the Hambach Forest, which is threatened by lignite mining.[324]
Fritt Ord Award, April2019, shared withNatur og Ungdom, which "celebrates freedom of speech". Thunberg donated her share of the prize money to a lawsuit seeking to halt Norwegianoil exploration in the Arctic.[325]
Time 100, April2019, byTime magazine, an annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world for that year.[326]
Laudato si' Prize, April2019, awarded by the Milarepa Foundation of Chile and selected by the International Laudato Si' Group members under the second encyclical of Pope Francis, "on care for our common home".[327]
Right Livelihood Award, September2019, from the Right Livelihood Foundation and known as Sweden's alternative Nobel Prize, one of four 2019 winners, "for inspiring and amplifying political demands for urgent climate action reflecting scientific facts."[334]
Maphiyata echiyatan hin win (lit.'Woman Who Came from the Heavens'),Lakota tribal name conferred, October2019, at Standing Rock Indian Reservation, following support for the Dakota Access pipeline opposition, after being invited by Tokata Iron Eyes, a 16-year-old Lakota climate activist.[337][338]
Nordic Council Environment Prize, October 2019. Thunberg declined to accept the award or the prize money ofDKK 350,000 (equivalent to€47,000 as of October 2019) stating that Nordic countries were not doing enough to cut emissions.[339][340]
Time Person of the Year, December2019, byTime magazine, the first recipient born in the 21st century and the youngest ever.[341][342] For succeeding in "creating a global attitudinal shift, transforming millions of vague, middle-of-the-night anxieties into a worldwide movement calling for urgent change."[343] And: "For sounding the alarm about humanity's predatory relationship with the only home we have, for bringing to a fragmented world a voice that transcends backgrounds and borders, for showing us all what it might look like when a new generation leads."[344]
Glamour Woman of the Year Award2019, 12November 2019, byGlamour magazine.[345] Accepted by Jane Fonda, quoting Thunberg as saying "If a Swedish, teenage, science nerd who has shopstop,[a] refuses to fly and has never worn makeup or been to a hairdresser can be chosen a Woman of the Year by one of the biggest fashion magazines in the world then I think almost nothing is impossible."[346][347]
She was recognized as one of the BBC's 100 women of 2019.[348]
Nature's 10, December2019, an annual list of ten "people who mattered" in science, produced by the scientific journalNature, specifically, for being a "climate catalyst: A Swedish teenager [who] brought climate science to the fore as she channeled her generation's rage."[312]
Human Act Award, on Earth Day, 22April 2020, by the Human Act Foundation, for "her fearless and determined efforts to mobilize millions of people around the world to fight climate change." The USD100,000 prize money was donated to UNICEF and doubled by the Foundation.[350]
Best in Activism (from Tech & Innovation category) at the12th Shorty Awards, on 3May 2020.[351]
Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity, in July2020, the first recipient of this prize. Through her foundation, Thunberg donated the€1,000,000 prize money "to charitable projects combatting the climate and ecological crisis and to support people facing the worst impacts, particularly in theGlobal South."[352]
Women in Youth Activism Award at the 2021 Women of Europe Awards on 2December 2021, for "courageous leadership in support forclimate justice, social change and youth community organising".[353]
The following species have been described and named after Thunberg:
Nelloptodes gretae, by Michael Darby, Natural History Museum, UK, December 2019, a new species of beetle fromKenya in the familyPtiliidae.[358] Its long antennae bear a passing resemblance to her braidedpigtails.[359][360]
Thunberga greta, in a new genusThunberga gen nov, both byPeter Jäger, June 2020, a new species of east African huntsman spider in the familySparassidae.[362] As of April 2022[update] the newThunberga genus contained twenty-nine newly described spiders,[363] all from Madagascar and Mayotte, many in honour of other inspirational young people.[364]
Ernman, Malena; Thunberg, Greta; Ernman, Beata; Thunberg, Svante (2021).Our House Is on Fire: Scenes of a Family and a Planet in Crisis. Penguin Books.ISBN978-0-14-199288-4.OCLC1179047026. 288 pages
Juliana v. United States – A lawsuit by 21 youths against the United States for significantly harming their right to life and liberty. It sought to force the government to adopt methods for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
^abcThunberg, Greta (24 November 2018).School strike for climate – save the world by changing the rules. TEDxStockholm. Event occurs at 1:46.Archived from the original on 11 November 2019. Retrieved29 January 2019 – via YouTube.I was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, OCD, and selective mutism. That basically means I only speak when I think it's necessary. Now is one of those moments ... I think that in many ways, we autistic are the normal ones, and the rest of the people are pretty strange, especially when it comes to the sustainability crisis, where everyone keeps saying that climate change is an existential threat and the most important issue of all and yet they just carry on like before.
^abcdeHattenstone, Simon (25 September 2021)."Interview: The transformation of Greta Thunberg".The Guardian.Archived from the original on 30 October 2021. Retrieved25 September 2021.I really see the value of friendship. Apart from the climate, almost nothing else matters
^Spackman, Sheldon; Gillard, Troy (27 February 2020)."Local oil and gas company denies responsibility for controversial 'Greta' decal".rdnewsNOW.Archived from the original on 16 December 2021. Retrieved26 September 2021.Doug Sparrow tells rdnewsNOW the decal was not made or endorsed by either himself or any employee of his company. He alleges that an unknown third party has posted it to Facebook. Sparrow says he has sent multiple requests to Facebook to have images of the decal removed, but that so far they have not responded.
^Powers, Thom (September 2020)."I Am Greta".Toronto International Film Festival Inc.Archived from the original on 29 September 2021. Retrieved29 September 2021.
^Tucker, Becca (10 October 2019)."Greta Thunberg and 'Shop Stop'".Our Town.Archived from the original on 28 February 2020. Retrieved28 February 2020.in her private life Greta practices what she calls "shop stop". It means you don't buy new things unless you absolutely have to. She wears what she already has, or borrows clothes
Make the World Greta AgainArchived 25 September 2019 at theWayback Machine – AVice documentary that follows Thunberg and the organisers of the school strikes for climate as they are cementing a worldwide movement ahead of their first global protest that took place on 15 March 2019.
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