Greta Thunberg and School Strikes for Climate

Greta Thunberg is a 16-year-old high school student from Stockholm, Sweden. In August 2018, rather than return to school for classes as normal, she began sitting in front of the Swedish
Parliament Building with a handmade sign which read "School Strike for Climate." She documented her school strikes on Twitter and social media. A handful of people would sit with Greta throughout the day. She caught the attention of news organizations, and was interviewed by reporters from TV stations, newspapers, and internet sites.

As summer turned to fall, Greta's profile rose. The number of people joining her at the Swedish Parliament Building grew and grew. Young people from across Europe began holding their own school strikes for climate. Greta did return to class, but she continued to strike every Friday. Greta began to travel by train to large climate protests in Europe and she spoke at several climate events, including the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Poland.

Greta has Asperger Syndrome, which is a form of autism. People with this condition often have an intense preoccupation with a particular subject. For Greta, she became concerned with a lack of action from politicians regarding climate change. She did not believe the protocols established by the Paris Climate Accord were enough. Even though Sweden is often considered a leader in environmental policy, she criticized her home country for not doing enough to combat climate change.

Here is an interview with Greta published in The Guardian, a newspaper from England. Here is a profile of Greta from The New Yorker.

Here is Greta speaking at the United Nations Climate Change Conference:



Here is Greta delivering a TED talk:



On March 15, students from around the world walked out of class and participated in a global school strike for climate. The Washington Post reported on school strikes from around the world and the United States and the Seattle Times reported on the school strike which took place in Seattle.

Portuguese students protest in Lisbon. (Rafael Marchante/Reuters)

Children rally in Brisbane, Australia. (Stringer/Reuters)

Greta Thunberg has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for her climate activism and her influence in creating a climate movement. Young people across the globe are at the forefront of the fight for a habitable future planet. Greta continues to advocate for global reductions in carbon emissions--all while maintaining a full schedule of regular high school classes!