Greta Thunberg: the environmental influencer we need

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This young Swedish student is the voice against climate change that speaks loud and clear to world leaders. Meet her here

This is the story of a shy Swedish girl who quickly became the spokesperson against climate change. With only 16 years, Greta Thunberg is supported by thousands of people concerned about the environmental crisis we live, she gives lectures in front of one of the most important leaders in the world, and speaks to the strongest governments in the world which seek in her an inspiration to solve the environmental crisis.

Leer en español: Greta Thunberg: la influenciadora ambiental que necesitamos

The voice against global warming

Global warming is changing from a nightmare to an apocalyptic reality. It is no secret to anyone that we are trapped in an environmental crisis and that the future, unless we radically change our way of living, does not bring us anything other than desolation and destruction.

Several countries and organizations have taken action on the issue to give the planet a break and not face a dystopian future like Mad Max where there is only desert, vital resources such as water are scarce, and the strongest is the one in charge.

Despite these governmental actions, Thunberg is not happy with what it is being done about it. She says that it is not enough and that nobody is taking this seriously.

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"You spend it saying that you owe the hope of a better world to future generations. I do not want your hopes. I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear that I feel every day. Then I want you to do something about it." With these strong statements, collected by the BBC, Thunberg paralyzed those who listened to her in the middle of one of the several conferences to which they invite her.

Who is Greta Thunberg?

This story begins on Friday, August 20, 2018 when Greta Thunberg, instead of going to class, rode her bicycle to the Swedish parliament at 8:30 in the morning with a sign that said student stoppage for the weather – in Swedish it is skolstrejk för klimatet-. The young woman was sitting there in front of the parliament stairs until 3 o'clock in the afternoon, time at which the student day ends.

At first, she was sitting alone, in silence, anticipating school work to make up for her absence. Many ignored her, others died of tenderness, but a few took her with the seriousness that this theme deserves and accompanied her on the next day of protest.

The following Friday, she was accompanied by a couple of other people; the following week they were more; until that small snowball became a monstrosity that has captured the attention of almost all the leaders of the world.

The young Thunberg was always a shy girl. She was not the most popular of the school and was not the favorite of all. Of all the student body, no one would have bet a penny for her to travel the world giving speeches and talking face to face with the most important rulers of the world.

It all started, according to her, when they put videos in classes about climate change. The images of the rickety polar bears and the vomitive amount of plastic in the oceans, among others, petrified the young Greta.

Her classmates were also worried, but after the video ended, they returned to their normal lives, to talk about other things. But, Greta, no. The young Swedish woman could not overcome these images, which, according to the Guardian interview, depressed her a lot.

She lasted several years with a crushed heart until she decided to do something about it. Today, with her message translated into countless languages, thousands of students supporting her with a presence in more than 100 countries, and world leaders willing to listen to her, Greta Thunberg is positioned as one of the most outstanding environmental leaders of the moment. As if that were not enough, at the beginning of March she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

LatinAmerican Post | Pedro Vergara
Translated from "Greta Thunberg: la influenciadora ambiental que necesitamos"