Greta Thunberg was born on January 3, 2003. Greta Thunberg is one of two daughters of a Swedish actor father and a world-famous opera singer mother.
Greta Thunberg, who managed to attract the attention of the media with her "School strike for climate", has been interested in the terms climate change and global warming since a very young age.
The young activist, who fell into depression at the age of 11, stopped eating and speaking at that time. Greta, who spoke only when absolutely necessary, was diagnosed with asperger's syndrome, a form of autism. Greta Thunberg was named one of the 25 most influential young people of 2018 by Time magazine.
The 16-year-old Swedish activist, who became the recognized face of environmentalists with the school strike and the actions she organized, made her voice heard in the speeches she gave to politicians at the most important conferences of the world.
More determined than adults to act on climate change, Greta poses a wise question: Are we deliberately causing a mass extinction? Are we villains?
The young activist encountered the terms climate change and global warming at the age of 8 and learned that global climate problems are the result of human actions. And how inadequate it is to prevent climate change… Little Greta fell into depression at the age of 11 as a result of her disappointment.
Asperger's syndrome diagnosis: Greta can't lie
Like other children her age, Greta watched documentaries about the melting of the poles, the disappearance of polar bears and the poisoning of the seas with plastic waste. However, unlike other children, she could not forget these images and realized the urgency of the climate movement at that age. Greta, who was very impressed by the images and constantly thinking about them, looked around and saw no concrete movement, so she fell ill and had depression when she was 11 years old. She started not to eat and talk during this period. Greta, who speaks only when absolutely necessary, has been diagnosed with asperger's syndrome, a form of autism, and selective mutism.
The young activist, who looks much younger than her peers because of her eating disorder, describes her illness as follows: “It's a version of autism and it makes me a little different from the others. I really don't like to participate in 'social play'. I can't lie. I can't say something and do the opposite of what I said."
Greta says that for people with Asperger's syndrome, there is no other choice but black and white, especially for existential issues. She sees global warming, climate change, emissions as vital issues and asks: If we have to fight global warming and it is urgent, why not?
Greta Thunberg was named one of the 25 most influential young people of 2018 by Time magazine. Greta was initially alone in her actions in front of the Swedish Parliament by boycotting the school on Fridays. But day by day, her Swedish peers started to drop out of school and come together for the climate and support Greta. Over time, the movement crossed the borders of Sweden, and as many as 70,000 students in 270 cities around the world took part in the "Friday for the Future" actions on Friday.
Greta didn't just make her voice heard by these actions and mobilizing her peers. She was there again at the climate march in Helsinki attended by thousands of demonstrators. At the United Nations climate summit COP24, she addressed politicians gathered in Poland to make decisions on climate change: "If you keep acting like this, you will fail. If you fail, you will be remembered as the worst in human history."
Greta was in Davos, Switzerland, where the World Economic Forum was held this time, to announce her determined stance to the whole world. She warned leaders and business people that their financial success would cost the future of the planet. In her speech in Davos at the end of January, she used the following expressions: "I want you to feel the fear that I feel every day. I want you to take action, just like in times of crisis. It's like your house is on fire… Because that's what happened."
The Swedish activist came to the European Commission in Brussels and made a speech and took the floor from Commission President Jean-Claude Junkler on the fight against climate change. Greta demanded that the European Commission allocate more budget on this issue.
But the promises made by politicians are never enough for Greta. She doesn't want to hear words anymore, she wants action. As she asked him in a one-on-one conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron. According to her, action should take precedence over words.