Greta Thunberg

Who Is Greta Thunberg?

Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg is a Swedish activist known for pressuring governments to address climate change and social issues. She is, without question, one of the most recognized young voices of the 21st century.

Her story begins with a handwritten sign. It ends — so far — with a worldwide movement.

Greta Thunberg is a Swedish environmental activist who focuses on the problem of climate change. In 2018, she founded a movement known as Fridays for Future, also called School Strike for Climate, which garnered international attention.

She became the youngest individual to be named Time magazine’s Person of the Year, earning the honor in December 2019 at just 16 years old. Furthermore, her influence on public attitudes toward climate change is so well documented that researchers and journalists now refer to it as the “Greta Effect.”

Today, she is 23 years old and continues to be one of the most active and outspoken voices for environmental and social justice in the world.

Early Life: A Quiet Girl in a Famous Family

Born Into the Arts

Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg was born on January 3, 2003, in Stockholm, Sweden, to opera singer Malena Ernman and actor Svante Thunberg. Her paternal grandfather was actor and director Olof Thunberg.

Thunberg’s mother, Malena, is a famous opera singer and performer. Her father, Svante, is a former TV actor. However, Greta chose an entirely different stage. She chose the streets, the parliaments, and the world’s great podiums.

She has a younger sister, Beata. Greta’s second name, Tintin, she shares with the adventuring creation of Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi, better known as Hergé.

A Father Who Stepped Back

Before Greta’s birth, Svante worked in three Stockholm theatres simultaneously. He eventually decided to quit acting and look after the baby full time. This sacrifice gave Greta a stable, present, and deeply supportive home life — one that would prove essential in the difficult years ahead.

The Moment Climate Change Entered Her World

When she was eight years old, she learned about climate change while watching a documentary about the melting ice caps. Witnessing such a global and urgent issue upset her deeply, igniting the passion that would define her mission.

Her mother wrote that other students quickly moved on to other topics after they saw a film on pollution. Greta, however, was overwhelmed by its message. She could not reconcile what she saw with the world’s indifference. That tension never left her.

Personal Struggles: Darkness Before the Storm

Depression and Silence

When Greta was around 11 years old, she became depressed and stopped speaking and stopped eating anything beyond small amounts of rice, avocado, and gnocchi.

Her mother later described the period in heartbreaking detail: “She was slowly disappearing into some kind of darkness. She stopped playing the piano. She stopped laughing. She stopped talking. And she stopped eating.”

Greta lost more than 20 pounds in just a couple of months, and could no longer climb stairs. Her parents feared she would be hospitalized.

Diagnosis: Asperger Syndrome, OCD, and Selective Mutism

Eventually, she was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), and selective mutism.

She struggled with depression for almost four years before she began her school strike campaign.

Rather than hiding her diagnoses, Greta embraced them publicly. She noted their advantages, at one point stating: “I have Asperger’s and that means I’m sometimes a bit different from the norm. And — given the right circumstances — being different is a superpower.”

This reframing was powerful. It turned her difference into a declaration. It inspired millions of young people with autism and neurodivergent conditions around the world.

Recovery Through Purpose

Svante Thunberg said that he and his wife took time off from their work and sought help from doctors. Changes made in their own lives — including his decision to become vegan — gave Greta energy. Slowly but surely, Greta recovered. Moreover, she channelled her pain directly into purpose.

The School Strike That Changed the World (2018)

August 20, 2018 — A Date That Matters

Her movement began when she protested against the climate crisis in front of the Swedish Parliament building on August 20, 2018. Thunberg held a signboard in Swedish — “Skolstrejk för klimatet” — or “School Strike for Climate” — and began regularly missing lessons to go on strike on Fridays, urging students around the world to join her every Friday.

She was 15 years old. She was alone. But she was certain.

When she started protesting, her parents did not support her activism. Her father said he did not like her missing school but added: “We respect that she wants to make a stand. She can either sit at home and be really unhappy, or protest and be happy.”

Fridays for Future Goes Global

What began as one girl and one sign became something no one expected. Within weeks, students across Sweden joined her. Within months, students across the world followed.

In 2018, she founded a movement known as Fridays for Future, which garnered international attention and made her one of the most recognizable faces of the climate change movement.

The movement grew into millions of participants across every continent. It became the largest youth-led climate protest movement in history.

Rise to Global Prominence: Speeches, Summits, and a Sailboat

Davos and COP24 (2018–2019)

Greta did not wait for invitations to arrive. She sought out the most powerful rooms in the world and walked right in.

She addressed global leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. There, she delivered the statement that would echo across headlines: “Our house is on fire.” She spoke at COP24, the UN Climate Conference, in Katowice, Poland. She challenged delegates to follow the science — not political convenience.

The Zero-Emission Atlantic Crossing (August 2019)

In August 2019, Thunberg famously traveled across the Atlantic in an emissions-free yacht to speak in New York at a United Nations climate summit.

She refused to fly. She refused to compromise. The voyage took two weeks. It generated global headlines. It turned her principles into performance — and her performance into protest.

The “How Dare You” Speech — UN Climate Action Summit (September 2019)

This was the moment the world stopped and listened.

In an emotional speech at the United Nations during the Climate Action Summit on September 23, 2019, the 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg appealed to world leaders about the grave need to stop the effects of climate change.

Her words that day became the defining statement of a generation. She told assembled world leaders that she should be back in school on the other side of the ocean — not standing before them. Thunberg said that for more than 30 years, the science had been crystal clear. She condemned leaders for looking away and pretending that business as usual was enough. “The eyes of all future generations are upon you,” she declared. “And if you choose to fail us, I say: We will never forgive you.”

The phrase “How dare you” reverberated across every screen and front page on Earth.

The Famous Stare at Donald Trump

After telling world leaders at the UN climate change summit that they had stolen her childhood with empty words, the Swedish activist then stared daggers at US President Donald Trump as he passed her at the summit. The image became one of the most widely shared photographs of 2019 — a quiet but devastating act of defiance.

Awards and Recognition: A Generation’s Voice Honoured

Greta Thunberg has received some of the world’s most prestigious recognitions. However, she has never let awards define her work.

In December 2019, she was named Time magazine’s Person of the Year. At 16 years old, she became the youngest individual to earn the honor.

Also in 2019, she won the Right Livelihood Award, known as the Alternative Nobel Prize, and Amnesty International’s Ambassador of Conscience Award. She was also listed by Forbes as one of the world’s 100 most powerful women.

In March 2019, Thunberg was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for her climate activism. Three Norwegian Members of Parliament put her name forward — an extraordinary recognition for a teenager.

Furthermore, she has collaborated with Bill Gates on sustainable energy initiatives and participated in tree-planting campaigns around the world.

Books and Publications: A Writer as Well as a Fighter

Greta Thunberg is not only an activist. She is also a published author.

Her publications include Scenes From the Heart and Our House Is on Fire, both co-authored by her parents and younger sister, and No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference, a collection of her speeches.

In 2022, she brought out The Climate Book, which contains essays from 100 scientists, writers and activists about how to combat the climate crisis.

Additionally, her work has been featured in publications like The New Yorker, and a documentary film, I Am Greta, was released in 2020.

In 2020, Greta established the Greta Thunberg Foundation, which supports projects and initiatives focused on environmental action.

Activism Beyond Climate: Gaza, Human Rights, and More

Greta Thunberg has always insisted that justice cannot be divided into separate boxes.

In October 2023, she expressed that she “stands with Gaza” and that her opposition to what she described as war crimes aligns with humanitarian positions grounded in her climate activism.

In May 2024, she was arrested at a protest against the war in Gaza at the University of Copenhagen for blocking the entrance to a building. That same month, Thunberg participated in an encampment at the University of Stockholm, during which she was carried away by police.

After joining the pro-Palestinian group Freedom Flotilla Coalition, she embarked on a voyage to Gaza in June 2025 to deliver a symbolic shipment of aid. A week later, Israeli forces intercepted the boat. Thunberg and several other activists were detained.

Within hours, the Israeli Foreign Ministry announced that the ship had been redirected to an Israeli port, where the activists were then sent home.

Graduation and Continuing Activism

Thunberg graduated high school in June 2023. She was subsequently arrested at a protest against the Energy Intelligence Forum in London that October. She was charged with failure to comply with a police order. Thunberg pleaded not guilty, and the case was later dismissed in February 2024.

As of August 2025, she was also present at demonstrations in Oslo, Norway, alongside activists from Extinction Rebellion, blocking access to a bank as part of ongoing environmental protests.

Her activism has never paused. Between arrests, speeches, and sailboat crossings, Greta Thunberg continues to show up — consistently, bravely, and unapologetically.

Timeline of Major Milestones

Year	Milestone
2003	Born January 3 in Stockholm, Sweden
2011	First learns about climate change at age 8
2014	Diagnosed with Asperger’s, OCD, and selective mutism
2018	Begins solo school strike outside Swedish Parliament (Aug 20)
2018	Fridays for Future movement launches globally
2018	Speaks at COP24 in Katowice, Poland
2019	Sails across Atlantic on zero-emission yacht
2019	Delivers “How Dare You” speech at UN (Sep 23)
2019	Time Person of the Year (youngest ever)
2019	Right Livelihood Award; Amnesty Ambassador of Conscience Award
2019	Nobel Peace Prize nomination
2020	I Am Greta documentary released
2020	Greta Thunberg Foundation established
2022	The Climate Book published
2023	Graduates high school; arrested in London protest
2024	Arrested at pro-Palestinian protests in Copenhagen and Stockholm
2025	Gaza Freedom Flotilla voyage; intercepted by Israeli forces
2025–2026	Ongoing protests across Europe with Extinction Rebellion