The temperature is steadily rising with a projected increase of three degrees Celsius, sending massive heatwaves around the world. Just three degrees higher than that and entire cities will join Atlantis at the bottom of the sea. Droughts, wildfires, and storms will become common occurrences. Six more degrees and life as you know it will no longer exist. The end gets nearer and nearer every single day. But, wait. What is that? It’s a bird… It’s a plane…It’s Greta Thunberg — here to save the freaking world.
The young Swedish activist first gained global attention a little over a year ago when rather than return to school, Thunberg spent her days protesting in front of the Swedish parliament. And from that moment on, her name became synonymous with a movement. A movement that is inspiring a whole generation to forgo single-use plastic and red meat.
Photo credit: Michael Campanella/The Guardian
This past week, Thunberg gave an impassioned speech at the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York City, which she got to on a two-week-long voyage aboard a zero-emissions boat. At just 16-years-old, she is already doing more to save the planet than we would ever think to do in our lifetimes. In her speech, Thunberg called out the older generation, accusing them of “stealing her dreams and her childhood”. She tells them that she should be attending school back in Sweden, but yet she is here. And she’s right. She shouldn’t have to be the one protecting the Earth, but it seems that the younger generation is the only one willing to get shit done.
Photo credit: Christopher Hunt/British GQ
Despite selflessly advocating for the well-being of the place we all call our home, Thunberg has been the victim of relentless online bullying. She has been sent physical threats. She has been ridiculed for her appearance, for her personality, and for the way she speaks. When Thunberg misspoke and flubbed over her words, she was mocked and compared to having some sort of degenerative brain disease. However, keep in mind, she has been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome and English is not her first language. And when she demanded change in front of the UN — and the world — she was compared to Stephen King’s The Children of the Corn and sarcastically referred to as “a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future.” But even more importantly, keep in mind, that these immature insults were made by full-grown adults—including the President of the United States of America.
What makes Greta Thunberg a superhero isn’t just her unapologetic activism to reverse the damage that humankind has made on the planet, but it is her poise, her grace, and her attitude towards the unfortunate situations she has to deal with. She is decades younger than her haters, yet, they’ll never be able to be as grown-up as her.
The Greta Thunberg Effect is in full swing. Heed her call. Follow in her footsteps. You might think that you are just one person and that what you do has no effect on damaging — or saving — the planet, but look at Greta. She’s just one person, too. And, sometimes one person is all you need to start a revolution. So, next time you’re outside and feel the abnormally sweltering heat in the middle of October, look up. You might just see a 16-year-old Swede flying high in the sky, coming down to save us all.
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