© Getty Images
1 / 30 Fotos
The Thunbergs - Greta Thunberg was born on January 3, 2003, in Stockholm, Sweden. She was born into a fairly famous family, with an actor father Svante, and opera singer mother Malena.
© Getty Images
2 / 30 Fotos
Climatizing - Thunberg claims that she first heard about climate change when she was eight.
© Getty Images
3 / 30 Fotos
Small setbacks - When she was 11, Thunberg started showing signs of Asperger syndrome, OCD, and selective mutism.
© Reuters
4 / 30 Fotos
Every word counts - Thunberg has described selective mutism as speaking only when she needed to, stating "now is one of those moments."
© Reuters
5 / 30 Fotos
On the spectrum - She has also seen the benefit of being on the "spectrum," saying that she sees "almost everything" as "black or white."
© Getty Images
6 / 30 Fotos
A matter of life or death - The activist has said that "I feel like I am dying inside if I don't protest."
© Reuters
7 / 30 Fotos
No filter - Thunberg is also famed for her protest outside the Swedish parliament, with leaflets reportedly reading the message "I am doing this because you adults are s******g on my future."
© Reuters
8 / 30 Fotos
Skipping school to save the world - Thunberg has cut class to focus on protests. "[We] respect that she wants to make a stand. She can either sit at home and be really unhappy, or protest, and be happy," said her father.
© Getty Images
9 / 30 Fotos
Starting at home - Greta's influence started at home. She has influenced her parents into a vegan diet, and persuaded them to give up flying.
© Reuters
10 / 30 Fotos
Inspiration - Thunberg first came up with the idea of a climate strike after watching school children skipping out on class after school shootings in February 2018.
© Getty Images
11 / 30 Fotos
Momentum
- Thunberg's star started to shine in May 2018, when she won a writing competition held by Svenska Dagbladet, which focused on the environment.
© Getty Images
12 / 30 Fotos
Bo Thorén - After her article was published, she got in contact with Bo Thorén (leader of the Fossil Free Dalsland group), who helped her plan a climate change strike.
© Getty Images
13 / 30 Fotos
Going it alone - Thunberg reached out to persuade her peers, but claims that initially, "no one was really interested." Undeterred, she went on to strike by herself.
© Getty Images
14 / 30 Fotos
School protest - Starting on August 20, 2018, Thunberg refused to attend school until September 9, the date of the Swedish general election. This followed Sweden's hottest summer in over 260 years.
© BrunoPress
15 / 30 Fotos
Student strikes worldwide - Greta made public demands of the Swedish government, asking for reduced carbon emissions. She protested by sitting outside the Riksdag parliament building every day for three weeks. After the elections passed, Thunberg decided to strike on Fridays, and she started gaining more and more attention. Soon, schools around the world were taking part in student strikes.
© Getty Images
16 / 30 Fotos
More strikes - As of December 2018, over 20,000 students held strikes in at least 270 cities around the world.
© Getty Images
17 / 30 Fotos
One of many - This marked Thunberg's transition from protesting as an individual to taking part in widespread demonstrations across Europe.
© Getty Images
18 / 30 Fotos
Going to Brussels - In October 2018, she took part in the Rise for Climate demonstration outside the European Parliament in Brussels.
© Getty Images
19 / 30 Fotos
Never give up - Her regular protests outside Swedish parliament continues, and other students have joined her along the way.
© Getty Images
20 / 30 Fotos
Academic support - Come February 2019, over 220 academics had signed an open letter, supporting Thunberg's cause along with that of the other striking schoolchildren.
© Getty Images
21 / 30 Fotos
Women's Day - On International Women's Day, Sweden voted Thunberg as the most important woman of 2019.
© Getty Images
22 / 30 Fotos
Nobel Peace Prize candidate - In March 2019, Swedish parliamentarians and deputies nominated Greta Thunberg as a Nobel Peace Prize candidate.
© Getty Images
23 / 30 Fotos
One influential girl - Time magazine named Thunberg as one of its 100 most influential people in April 2019.
© Getty Images
24 / 30 Fotos
Read all about it - The next month, Penguin published a collection of Thunberg's speeches, named 'No One is Too Small to Make a Difference.' Profits will go to charity.
© Reuters
25 / 30 Fotos
The Greta Effect - Thunberg's influence has been called The Greta Effect. She was the subject of a documentary titled 'Make the World Greta Again,' which also interviewed youth protest leaders across Europe.
© Reuters
26 / 30 Fotos
Enemies - As much praise as Greta has gotten, she has also made some enemies. Earlier in 2019, she was subject to attacks from Germany's far-right AfD party.
© Getty Images
27 / 30 Fotos
The greatest threat - In July 2019, Mohammed Barkindo, secretary-general of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), spoke against Thunberg. He said her strikes were "perhaps the greatest threat to our industry going forward."
© Reuters
28 / 30 Fotos
The Green New Deal - Thunberg visited the House of Representatives via video link in June 2019. She spoke alongside Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, promoting the Green New Deal.
© Reuters
29 / 30 Fotos
A big impact
- In just a short amount of time, Greta has made a big impact on the world. In her home country, more Swedes are taking public transport, while there is a growing shame that comes with taking commercial flights. Don't miss these shocking shows and films about climate change.
© Getty Images
30 / 30 Fotos
Greta Thunberg: a girl saving the world
Growing up before our eyes, Greta Thunberg turns 18 on January 3
© Getty Images
Young activist Greta Thunberg has risen to fame in a short amount of time, with a distinct perspective and message for the world: let's save our planet. Greta has drawn support from her home country of Sweden, in addition to other countries around the world. However, she's also made some enemies, with political and corporate critics too. That said, learn more about the young superhero with this informative gallery. From her early beginnings to world domination, get to know the incredible Greta Thunberg.
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU




































MOST READ
- Last Hour
- Last Day
- Last Week
-
1
CELEBRITY Relationships
-
2
CELEBRITY Retrospective
From child star to the director's chair: Jodie Foster's career highlights
-
3
TRAVEL Palaces
-
4
CELEBRITY Actors
-
5
CELEBRITY Retrospective
-
6
MOVIES Food
-
7
LIFESTYLE England
-
8
LIFESTYLE Work
-
9
HEALTH Circadian rhythm
Understanding and dealing with sleep disruption during the pandemic
-
10
LIFESTYLE Global economy
COMMENTS