From inspiring millions of young people across the globe, to going on strike from school to urge government action against the climate crisis, to being told to “chill” and “go to an old fashioned movie with a friend” by Donald Trump after she became Time magazine’s youngest person of the year; over the last few years, Greta Thunberg has captured the world’s attention.
Her intense speeches demanding climate justice have garnered traction in the news and on social media as she took on the 2018 United Nations climate change conference, and 2019 UN climate action summit, and even released a documentary ‘I am Greta’.
Lately, media coverage of Thunberg has quietened down. However, with temperatures rising, she continues to fight for the environment as fiercely as ever in 2022.
‘Right now is where we stand our ground’
Last month, Greta made a surprise appearance on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury festival. To energised chants of “climate justice’ from festival goers, Greta took to the stage to paint a dystopian insight into what earth’s future could look like if we don’t start to ‘do the seemingly impossible’ and rally together to halt global warming.
‘Hope is not something that is given to you. It is something you have to earn, to create. It cannot be gained passively from standing by passively and waiting for someone else to do something,’ the 19-year-old activist said.
The Climate Book
Following the success of her book No One is too Small to Make a Difference, this year Greta has begun to compile The Climate Book. Her latest effort aims to present a ‘global overview of how the planet’s many crises connect’. It features over 100 contributions from scientists economists and writers, including novelist Margaret Atwood, and scientist Katharine Hayhoe.
“I have decided to use my platform to create a book based on the current best available science – a book that covers the climate, ecological and sustainability crises holistically,” Thunberg expressed.
The Climate Book is available to pre order now and will be released in October. Greta will launch her book at the Kondon literature festival as headliner of the event.
Strikes, Protests and Social Media
Greta has proved her unwavering determination over the past few years as she has continued to strike school for climate justice as part of the Fridays for Future movement. She has also participated in protests for an array of global issues. In January she spoke up against the colonisation of the indigenous Swedish Sami community by the Swedish government who erected an iron ore mine on Sami land, and she protested outside the Russian embassy in support of Ukraine.
As ever, Greta is active on Instagram and Twitter and uses these platforms to journal her activist journey and raise awareness of social justice issues.