Greta Thunberg is a 16-year-old from Sweden who, unlike the vast majority of millennial entrepreneurs, is an innovator within the social and political environments. She is a climate activist: informing people about the harmful effects of climate change, pushing governments and corporations to change their emissions policies, and changing the way the entire world views the climate crisis.
Every Friday since 2018, Thunberg has led “Fridays for Future”, a movement that encourages students to skip school and demand governmental action for climate change. On September 20th, 2019, she led the largest singular climate strike in history, with an estimated 4 million people from over 161 countries joining her in protest. Thunberg is driven by her passion for the environment, and vision to change governmental climate regulations. She has even been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for the mass movement that she created, and ultimately, her contribution to global unity.
Thunberg has appeared on TED Talks, opened for the UN Climate Action Summit, and spoken to many influential political figures, such as Pope Francis, the UK Parliament, and former President Barack Obama. In addition to the impact that she is making on the political spectrum, Thunberg is also open about her battle with Asperger’s Syndrome. She is inspiring teenagers around the world to not only persevere through adversity, but to passionately thrive.
At the age of 16, how has Greta Thunberg gotten more attention and made more of an impact than any other climate activist? What makes her stand out from more experienced politicians? Her innovation and connectivity through activism are what has made Greta such a social phenomenon. Instead of focusing on structured political regimes, she resonates with the younger generation through movements and protests. Greta Thunberg has somehow found a way to unite young climate activists and political figures, in order to move forward toward social change. While Greta might not fit the stereotype of an entrepreneur, she is innovating and changing the way the world sees climate activism, one Friday at a time.
I think this is a super cool and interesting topic. I had not heard of a student calling other students to skip school on Friday to demand change. I think that is super cool, but could there possibly be a problem with the fact the students are legally required to go to a specific number of school days per year? Additionally, is there a concern that students would skip just to have an excuse to get out of school? Overall, super interesting article and I like that you highlighted a teen entrepreneur.
I think its insane that a 16 year old can have gotten as much acclaim and attention as she has. I mean, I’m 19, and what have I done? Not much compared to her. She’s effectively channeled frustration from environmentally conscious children around the globe into one unified movement. Not sure how I feel about her “skip school on Friday” policy, but it has clearly been effective. I think the impact that she’s had is inspiring for me. If she can do what she’s done, I can have an impact too.