At the young age of 16, Greta Thunberg is quickly becoming a household name as she continues on her pursuit for climate justice. Smashing the stigma against people with Asperger’s, Greta eloquently speaks to political leaders and the rest of the world, calling everyone to action in the fight against carbon emissions and irreversible climate damage.
Greta has passionately told the most powerful political leaders that they are not doing enough to help our planet and that they are effectively stealing her future and the future of all young people who will suffer the long-term consequences of climate changes much more than the older generations will.
One of the most compelling things that Greta has done is organize the Global Climate Strikes, where students skip class on Fridays to strike and campaign to their local politicians to do more to reduce carbon emissions and overall CO2 levels in the atmosphere.
These Global Climate Strikes have been incredibly successful, with an organized rally in Montreal drawing over 500 000 people. Greta was in Montreal to be part of this strike and the support that she received there and in cities around the world was overwhelming. It is beginning to become very clear that more and more people, especially young people, are getting angry about climate change related policies and want to see their leaders doing much more.
Despite their grand turnout numbers, the climate strikes and Greta’s message in general has not come without criticism. Many adults have directed hateful messages towards Greta and her mission, with many attacking her for her condition of Asperger’s Syndrome.
Many people think that a 16-year-old has no place at UN meetings and should not be telling leaders what to do. They think that because she is young she doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Despite these criticisms, Greta’s claims and suggestions are entirely backed by research done by modern climate scientists. The reality of the situation is that if the world does not begin to make major changes in terms of carbon emissions and greenhouse gas pollution, we will reach the point of irreversible climate damage by 2030. What this means is that after 2030, a chain reaction of extreme weather, mass extinction, and rising temperatures will be set off and we will be entirely unable to stop it.