Greta Thunberg facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Greta Thunberg
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Thunberg in 2024
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Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg
3 January 2003 Stockholm, Sweden
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| Years active | 2018–present |
| Movement | School Strike for Climate |
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| Relatives | Olof Thunberg (grandfather) |
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Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg (born 3 January 2003) is a young Swedish environmental activist. She is famous for asking world leaders to take quick action to stop climate change.
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Greta Thunberg's Early Life
Greta Thunberg was born in Stockholm, Sweden, on January 3, 2003. Her mother, Malena Ernman, is an opera singer, and her father, Svante Thunberg, is an actor. She has a younger sister named Beata.
Greta first learned about climate change when she was eight years old, in 2011. She couldn't understand why people weren't doing more about it. This made her very sad.
For about two years, Greta encouraged her parents to reduce their family's impact on the environment. She wanted them to become vegan, reuse items, and stop flying. She showed them facts and figures. When that didn't work, she told them they were "stealing her future." Because of Greta, her mother stopped taking international flights for her opera career. Greta's father said her mother did it to help Greta feel better.
Greta believes that her parents' changes gave her hope. It showed her that she could make a real difference.
Greta's Activism and Impact
In August 2018, when she was 15, Greta started protesting outside the Swedish Parliament. She held a sign that said Skolstrejk för klimatet (which means "School Strike for Climate"). She wanted leaders to take stronger action on climate change. At first, her parents didn't support her missing school for this.
Soon, other students started similar protests in their own towns. They created a worldwide movement called Fridays for Future. After Greta spoke at a big United Nations climate meeting in 2018, student strikes happened every week around the world. In 2019, millions of students joined these protests.
To avoid flying, which creates a lot of carbon pollution, Greta sailed across the Atlantic Ocean on a yacht. She traveled to North America for the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit. Her powerful speech there, where she said "How dare you?", became very famous.
Greta became well-known for being young and speaking very directly. She often tells world leaders and big companies that they are not doing enough to fix the climate crisis. Sometimes, she has faced trouble for not following police orders during protests. For example, in Sweden, she was asked to leave demonstrations near the parliament but did not.
Her sudden fame led to something called the "Greta effect." This means her influence helped more people pay attention to climate change. She has received many awards and honors. These include being named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people. She was also the youngest ever Time Person of the Year. She has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize several times.
Greta's Views on Climate Change
Greta says that humanity is facing a huge problem because of global warming. She believes that older generations are responsible for causing these harmful changes to Earth's climate.
Greta often talks about how climate change will affect young people the most. She says that her generation might not have a good future because "that future was sold so that a small number of people could make unimaginable amounts of money." She also points out that people in poorer countries will suffer most from climate change. This is true even though they have contributed the least to carbon pollution. Greta supports other young activists from these countries who are already dealing with the bad effects of climate change. She once said, "We talk about our future, they talk about their present."
When she speaks at international meetings, she tells world leaders that they are not doing enough to reduce global pollution. She believes that simply lowering pollution is not enough. She says that pollution needs to be reduced to zero to keep global warming from getting worse than 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Greta's Education Journey
Greta's father has said that her activism did not stop her from doing well in school. She finished her lower secondary school with good grades. In July 2019, Time magazine reported that Greta was taking a "gap year" from school. She planned to travel in the Americas and meet people from the climate movement.
In August 2019, Greta sailed across the Atlantic Ocean. She went from Plymouth, England, to New York City. She traveled on a 60-foot racing yacht called Malizia II. This yacht had solar panels and underwater turbines. The trip was meant to show how important it is to reduce pollution, as it created no carbon emissions.
On August 24, 2020, Greta finished her gap year and went back to school. On June 9, 2023, Greta graduated from high school. She marked the day by attending what was technically her last school strike for climate protest before getting her diploma. She wore a traditional Swedish graduation white dress and cap to the protest.
Interesting Facts About Greta Thunberg
- Greta's grandfather on her father's side was an actor and director named Olof Thunberg.
- Greta shares her middle name, Tintin, with the famous adventuring character from Belgian cartoons.
- She has been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder), and selective mutism.
- Greta is known as a leading climate change activist and also as a well-known autism activist.
- She speaks English very well, and most of her public talks are in English.
- Several new animal species have been named after Greta Thunberg:
- Nelloptodes gretae: A tiny beetle from Kenya. Its long antennae look a bit like her braided pigtails.
- Craspedotropis gretathunbergae: A new type of land snail found in Borneo.
- Thunberga greta: A new species of huntsman spider from Madagascar.
- Opacuincola gretathunbergae: A new freshwater snail from New Zealand.
Greta Thunberg Quotes
- "I see the world in black and white, and I don't like compromising."
- "My message is that if we do not care about the climate crisis and if we do not act now then almost no other question is going to matter in the future."
- "Once we start to act, hope is everywhere. So instead of looking for hope, look for action. Then, and only then, hope will come."
- "Giving up cannot be an option."
Greta's Honours and Awards
Greta Thunberg has received many honors and awards for her activism. She won a climate change essay competition in May 2018, before her school strike began. Greta has refused to attend ceremonies or accept prizes if it means she has to fly. She has received awards from many groups and scientific organizations that praise her for raising awareness.
- Time magazine's 25 most influential teens of 2018.
- Fryshuset scholarship for Young Role Model of the Year in 2018.
- Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.
- Swedish Woman of the Year in March 2019.
- Rachel Carson Prize in March 2019, for outstanding work for the environment.
- Goldene Kamera film and television awards special Climate Action Award in March 2019.
- Fritt Ord Award in April 2019, which celebrates freedom of speech. Greta donated her prize money to a lawsuit trying to stop oil exploration.
- Time 100 in April 2019, as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
- Honorary degree from the Belgian University of Mons in May 2019, for her work on sustainable development.
- Ambassador of Conscience Award in June 2019, Amnesty International's highest award, shared with Fridays for Future.
- The Geddes Environment Medal in July 2019, for her contribution to protecting the environment. She also became an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society.
- Right Livelihood Award in September 2019, known as Sweden's alternative Nobel Prize.
- Keys to the City of Montréal in September 2019.
- International Children's Peace Prize in October 2019, shared with Divina Maloum.
- Given the Lakota tribal name Maphiyata echiyatan hin win (Woman Who Came from the Heavens) in October 2019.
- Declined the Nordic Council Environment Prize in October 2019, saying Nordic countries were not doing enough to cut pollution.
- Time Person of the Year in December 2019, the youngest person ever to receive this honor.
- Glamour Woman of the Year Award 2019.
- Recognized as one of the BBC's 100 women of 2019.
- Included in Nature's 10, 2019, a list of ten "people who mattered" in science.
- Included in the Forbes list of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women in 2019.
- Listed in Forbes 30 under 30 Europe 2020 – Social Entrepreneurs.
- Human Act Award on Earth Day, April 22, 2020. She donated the prize money to UNICEF.
- Best in Activism at the 12th Shorty Awards on May 3, 2020.
- Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity in July 2020. She donated the €1 million prize money to projects fighting the climate crisis.
- Women in Youth Activism Award at the 2021 Women of Europe Awards on December 2, 2021.
- Honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) from the University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus on May 31, 2021.
- Honorary Doctor of Theology from Helsinki University in June 2023.
Images for kids
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Greta in front of the Swedish parliament, holding a "School Strike for the Climate" sign, Stockholm, August 2018
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A bicycle in Stockholm with messages about Greta and the climate crisis (September 2018)
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A sign at a "FridaysForFuture" protest in Berlin, December 2018
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Greta giving a speech at a July 2019 school strike for climate change in Berlin
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Dina Titus listening to Greta discussing the urgent need to address climate change
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Greta speaks to a crowd of over 10,000 people at the January 17, 2020, climate strike in Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Greta urges MEPs to show climate leadership (2020).
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Project Pressure Voices for the Future
See also
In Spanish: Greta Thunberg para niños
