Greta Thunberg: What Is She Fighting For?

Greta Thunberg first entered the world’s stage at the tender age of 15. Even at that young age, Thunberg was anything but tender. Before long, she was protesting for climate change in front of the Swedish Parliament, displaying her grit, wit, and passion. About 2.5 years later, this young woman continues to fight, advocate, and inspire all over the world. Popular though she might be in certain circles, however, there are still many people out there wondering, what is Greta Thunberg fighting for? 

Greta Thunberg is an 18-year-old environmentalist from Stockholm, Sweden. Though her parents were not climate or environmental activists, she is descended from Svante Arrhenius, a Nobel Prize-winning chemist who helped develop the model of the greenhouse effect. According to The BBC, Thunberg has been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder that she describes as a gift or superpower, rather than a hindrance. 

Thunberg is fighting for the planet, but her overarching goal is to stop the climate crisis that is threatening to tear our world apart. To that end, she has protested against the continued drilling of fossil fuels, has advocated for greater adherence to the environmental goals of the Paris Agreement, and has lambasted businesses and governments for not moving quickly enough to cut carbon emissions.

According to The BBC, Thunberg is also fighting to stop subsidization and investment in fossil fuels by banks, firms, and short-sighted governments. Her suggestion is that they should shift their focus away from such endeavors and invest in research, sustainable technologies, and restoring the natural world. 

Throughout all this, Thunberg has also been openly critical against world leaders for failing young people and brought many of those same young people to the table to demonstrate, organize, and protest against climate change, pollution, and social injustice.

To be frank, Greta Thunberg has accomplished a great deal more than most people her age. Thunberg was Time's Person of the Year back in 2019 after taking the entire year off from school in order to campaign, protest, and attend climate conferences across the globe. According to Business Insider and her own Twitter account, she is still making time to protest every Friday.

There are many who argue that all of Thunberg’s protesting has amounted to very little. According to The Irish Times, both Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin have openly insulted her and her efforts. Thankfully, Thunberg is as implacable as ever. The slings and arrows of those who would accuse her of being “angry” or “ill-informed” are nothing compared to the real threat that’s facing our planet. 

The Irish Times reports that Thunberg has spoken out against the naysayers that call her activism ineffectual. In December of 2019, at the UN climate talks in Madrid, the young activist blasted the world governments for “achieving nothing” since the Paris Agreement first went into effect. She added that greenhouse gas emissions hadn’t been improved, and in fact, had risen 4 percent in the past four years.

Her age and experience notwithstanding, Thunberg has done much for the planet. She has pointed a righteous finger at the people in power and told them that they were wrong. Whether or not the world wants to admit it, Greta Thunberg’s activism has inspired many young people to act on behalf of their planet. It’s no mean feat, especially when so many of today’s youth are too engrossed in their phone to do much of anything else. 

Despite the lingering threat of the coronavirus pandemic, Thunberg’s zeal for climate change has not wavered. If anything, her drive to push for change has only grown in the past year of lockdown, and we can’t wait to see what she does next.