Greta Thunberg: The face behind the climate youth strike

As a global society, it’s safe to say that climate change has been the elephant in the room at large political summits with potential actions but a whole lot of fake promises. And with hundreds of reports released on our planet’s state, it seems as though all this talk about our planet has kept reaching dead ends. Enter Greta Thunberg.

A little over a year ago, Greta Thunberg, was just your average teenager, she went to school, had friends and did her homework. However, little did people know that Greta had a strong passion for the environment. She was a witness of the climate trends favouring the irreversible changes to our climate that would become a reality in the near future. She knew that the mistreatment of the only planet we have to cherish and live on, was wrong. In protest, she skipped school and sat outside of the Swedish parliament every Friday for almost a whole year. It could not be more obvious that Greta knew what it meant to take a stance and bring attention to our planet’s condition by casting a different kind of light on the situation. She clearly wanted to make a difference, and she was doing so by defending her beliefs.

Many of you must be familiar with a largely shared Instagram post of Greta speaking at the United Nations conference a couple of weeks ago. The videos have garnered millions of views alone through Instagram with tweets, shares and reposts on other social media platforms further increasing the number of interactions with the subject. Regardless of the views it has received, it’s important to recognize and the courage that it takes to talk in front of such a large audience of reputable individuals while also criticizing them for chasing profits rather than chasing the companies, individuals or unhealthy practices that are largely contributing to the very-familiar climate crisis. Not only has Greta demonstrated the courage she has to speak up but we also find out about her dedication and willingness to maturely discuss important issues regarding our planet. In return, Greta has sparked many topical discussions surrounding practical climate change solutions by marking her presence and being accountable.

In a time when we desperately need action from politicians to put actions into words, Greta could not state the scenario any better: “You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words.” For many protesters with the same intentions as Greta, politicians have stolen their dreams as well. The dreams of future generations may also be stolen if Earth becomes a planet that is no longer suitable for life. This would be very unfortunate; however, not far from the truth. All I’d like to say is that please continue to use your voice for the better so politicians will need to come to us for solutions when they don’t have the answers.

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