Greta hits New York
With the teenage activist set to take New York by storm, Polly Dunbar looks at the girl who wants to save the world
As Greta thunberg finally reached the end of her long, often uncomfortable journey across the Atlantic last Wednesday, she tweeted: ‘Land!! The lights of Long Island and New York City ahead.’
Refusing to fly to avoid a plane’s gas emissions, the 16-year-old climate change activist had embarked on a 15-day, 3,000mile voyage from Plymouth to New York on a zero-emissions, solar-powered racing yacht. The journey was arduous: the boat had no shower or toilet and she survived on freeze-dried food. On arrival, after a quick rest, she joined a strike outside the UN headquarters, where she’ll appear at a climate summit later this month.
At a press conference, she called for immediate action to tackle climate change, saying, ‘It is insane that a 16-year-old would have to cross the Atlantic to take a stand.’
Her arrival in New York marks the latest phase in Greta’s mission to save the planet. It may seem a tall order for a teenager, but just a year since she campaigned her way into the public consciousness, the Greta effect is nothing short of a phenomenon.
The world was introduced to the activist in August 2018, when she began a sit-down protest every Friday outside the Swedish parliament. Even her parents, Malena Ernman, an opera singer, and Svante Thunberg, an actor and author, tried to dissuade her, but her lonely protest – with a handpainted sign reading ‘Skolstrejk för klimatet’, or ‘School strike for the climate’ – caught the media’s attention.
Zion Lights, from Extinction Rebellion – the climate protest group that has collaborated with Greta – believes it was a case of perfect timing. ‘The IPCC [the UN’S Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] report was released, warning that we only have 12 years to limit the catastrophe, and Sir David Attenborough was publicly warning about the collapse of civilisation, so it was the right time for the media to pick up on Greta’s protest. After years of campaigning and nobody paying attention, it was magical to see it all come together.’
Exceptionally bright, Greta was diagnosed with Asperger’s four years ago, and admits that where other people might be troubled by environmental damage, ‘I overthink. Some people can let things go, but I can’t, especially if there’s something that makes me sad.’ Quickly, she became the figurehead for a growing movement, inspiring others across the globe to embrace ‘Fridays for future’ protests and demand change from their governments.
Lucy Siegle, the environmental journalist and author of Turning The Tide On Plastic, met her earlier this year at Davos in Switzerland, where Greta spoke at the World Economic Forum. ‘She’s a very quiet, considered presence,’ she says. ‘It gets harder as we get older to say very straightforward things, but she speaks so concisely about what climate change is, and what it’s going to do. She challenges complacency without being aggressive, or seeking anybody’s approval; she’s very authentic.’
Greta has been lauded at the UN and counts Angela Merkel and Barack Obama among her admirers. Inevitably, she has also attracted criticism, with some politicians and journalists claiming she is a puppet for sustainable business interests and attacking everything from her family to her appearance. ‘They’re on the wrong side of history,’ says Zion of her detractors. ‘It’s a shame that someone so young has to be a pioneer for this movement, but she is brilliant.’ Lucy agrees, saying, ‘We’re very uncomfortable with being confronted by the truth, and that’s what she does. That’s why she’s loved and loathed.’
In December, Greta will attend the COP25 (the 25th UN climate change conference) in Chile. In the long-term, Lucy expects to see her spearhead a revolution in the way we legislate on climate issues. ‘She’s been so effective at showing how useless our political system is on this issue,’ she says. ‘If something isn’t working, young people will find a new way – perhaps a global climate authority where people can vote online.’ In the meantime, as the scientific community’s warnings grow increasingly stark, she will continue to be a symbol of hope.