Greta Thunberg: Nobel Peace Prize Winner & Climate Activist

Study Notes

Early Life and Diagnosis

Greta Thunberg was born in Stockholm, Sweden in 2003 to opera singer Malena Ernman and actor Svante Thunberg.
She learned about climate change at the age of 8.
At 11 or 12, she suffered from depression and was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism.
Her father, Svante, said she stopped talking and going to school during this time.

Climate Activism

In 2018, at 15, Greta held the first "School Strike for Climate" outside the Swedish parliament.
The protest was widely covered, and hundreds of thousands of young people worldwide joined her Fridays For Future strikes.
Her father said she became "much happier" after starting her activism.
She has described her autism diagnosis as a "superpower" that helped motivate her protests.

Famous Speeches

In 2019, at 16, Greta told the European Parliament, "Our house is falling apart and our leaders need to start acting accordingly, because at the moment they are not."
Later that year, she sailed to New York to address a UN climate action summit, saying, "You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words."
In 2021, at a youth protest in Glasgow, she said, "World leaders have held 26 COPs...and where has that got us?"

Court Cases

In 2024, Greta was found not guilty of breaking the law by refusing to follow police instructions during a climate protest.
In 2023, she was twice arrested and fined for blocking a road used for transporting oil.

Awards and Recognition

Greta has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize every year between 2019 and 2023.
In 2019, she became the youngest-ever Time Person of the Year.
She has won the Right Livelihood Award, Amnesty International's Ambassador of Conscience Award, and was listed by Forbes as one of the world's 100 most powerful women.

Criticisms

Greta has been criticized by Andrew Tate, Donald Trump, and Vladimir Putin, who described her as a "kind, but poorly informed, teenager".
She has responded to critics with sarcastic tweets, which have been widely shared and liked.

Campaign Achievements

Greta is credited with raising public awareness of climate change across the world.

Description

Learn about Greta Thunberg's background and her journey towards becoming a prominent climate activist. From her upbringing in Stockholm, Sweden, to her early awareness of climate change and her struggles with mental health, discover the key events that shaped her activism.