The Girl Whose Voice Rose With the Climate

by Azra Khalisa

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“I don’t want your hope. I don’t want you to be hopeful. I want you to panic and act as if the house was on fire” This are the words of a 16-year-old girl fighting against one of the biggest problem earth is facing currently, climate change.

Greta Ernman Thunberg, the girl who has opened the eyes of millions about climate change. Born in 2003, she has been on earth for a mere 16 years but already her love for this planet has surpassed more than half of the population. Her dedication to climate change has captured the attention of many, especially among climate scientists. Her pleas for change have echoed throughout the globe. She has circled the world to make her voice be heard. Armed with a pigtail hairdo, she is truly a girl on fire and this is her story.

It all started when there were multiple occurrences of wildfire spreading throughout Sweden in the summer of 2018. At the time, Sweden was experiencing heatwaves. It was the most severe case of heatwave ever recorded in Sweden’s modern history. Greta, 15 at the time, was upset that her country was suffering from the result of climate change with the government doing nothing substantial to reduce the effects of said climate change. So, she decided to protest outside Riksdag, the national legislature and the supreme decision-making body of Sweden, every day during school hours with the sign “Skolstrejk för klimatet” (school strike for the climate).

After Sweden’s 2018 general elections were held, Greta’s protests continued every Friday. She demanded Swedish politicians to align the country with the Paris Climate Agreement where it agreed to reduce the carbon emission in Sweden.

Six months after she started her protest, she was joined by students around the world when little by little the news of her good cause spread in the Internet. Social media played the biggest role in connecting these students together. Greta, who has an account on Twitter, uses it to express her opinions and ideas as well to appeal her cause to other people across the globe. It is also the place where she utters her contentment whenever people from other countries share her sentiment and protest against the climate change. There, she has over 500,000 of followers who respect and admire her for her vision and believe it is time to finally take a stance against climate change.

The first thing you notice when you visit her account is the iconic catchphrase associated with Greta Thunberg climate change protest which is “Fridays for Future”. Below the catchphrase, there is a short but extremely motivational video of Greta Thunberg urging people to join her in protesting against climate change.

She informs the viewers the reason as to why it is absolutely necessary to protest against climate change and by protesting, it is possible for us to sustain a healthy planet that can last longer for the sake of future generations. She says, while looking into the camera intensely, there is no reason for the younger generation to attend school and learn about facts there when there is possibly no future at all if none of the authorities want to take action against the climate change that is causing our planet to die.

In addition to that, by clicking on the hashtag #FridaysForFuture, you can see the magnitude of these protests happening around the world, organized mostly by students just like Greta Thunberg. Due to the influence of this 16-year-old, a period where it is impossible to ignore the voices of these students has been brought about. They are demanding for the adults and those in power to listen to their voice and make the changes necessary to save our only planet.

Along with her activities on social media, she also attends talks where she urges and persuades people to take action against climate change. She attends a lot of platforms where she expresses her condemnation for the inaction and her worry for the future of the planet. She attended TEDxStockholm last year to give a talk on climate change. The video posted on one of the most popular social media platform has gained millions of viewers. There, without any cue cards to guide her, she spoke in a very calm but assertive manner. She spoke in English fluently despite it not being her first language. She talked about the ignorance that everyone, especially politicians and media, display towards climate change.

“If we are able to change an entire planet’s climate, then why are we doing nothing against it when we are the one living in it?” says her. To her survival is black and white and if that means the level of emission needs to be reduced then it needs to be reduced.

How is it that no action is taken when it is clear that climate change is an existential threat to the population? Greta asserts that the inaction is because the vast majority are not aware of the consequences to their daily life and that they do not know that rapid change is needed.

“If we had known, then it would be everywhere. As headlines, as breaking news, talked about in meetings and everywhere possible” People would not ignore the problem because they are well aware of the outcome of that ignorance.

Greta urges rich countries like Sweden to reduce emission by 15% every year so that the country can stay below a 2° warming target. She then continues to say that there is no more need to figure out facts and solutions because it already exist but rather, people need to wake up and change.

Humans need action more than hope. We can hope, of course we can, but nothing will change by hoping. By taking action, it will save us and the future generation from a dying planet. Greta then says that humankind can’t save the world by playing by the rules, because the rules have to be changed and with that, she concludes her speech with an inspiring line “Everything needs to change and it has to start today.”

Her speech at TEDxStockholm is just one of her amazingly inspirational speeches that she has delivered across the world. She may be young and small but her mind is vast. She is the epitome of the phrase “not all heroes wear capes”. Until today her voice echoes in all parts of the world with the plea for change against global warming. Everyone plays a part in combating this problem and if you are not sure of your role? Easy. Research and play your part. As Greta has said before, “Everything needs to change” And that includes you.