Schoolgirl nominated for the Nobel Prize: she quit her studies to fight climate change

Her ideas supported more 20 thousands of teenagers from 270 cities in the world.

Photo: video frame

On March 14, deputies of the left-wing parties of the Swedish and Novgergy parliaments nominated 16-year-old eco-activist Greta Thunberg for the Nobel Peace Prize. In August, 2018, she refused to go to school until politicians began to comply with the terms of the Paris Climate Agreement. The initiative of the girl found a response from thousands of schoolchildren around the world, but not everyone agrees with her position. Her story is told TJournal.

Thunberg began to go to rallies alone, but thousands of teenagers followed her.

For the first time, Thunberg learned about climate change caused by the actions of mankind at the age of eight. Since then, she has regularly returned to this topic, reflecting on why government leaders, realizing the danger of harmful emissions into the atmosphere, continue to use fossil fuels like oil and coal. “Countries such as Sweden need to reduce emissions by at least 15% annually if we take into account the aspect of equality and equity in terms of climate,” the girl wrote.

In the column for The Guardian, Thunberg revealed that she lives with Asperger syndrome - a mental disorder that leads to serious difficulties in social interaction, as well as to a repetitive repertoire of interests and occupations. To reduce the carbon footprint of the family, the schoolgirl convinced parents to become vegans and stop traveling on airplanes.

In August, 2018 in Sweden was preparing for parliamentary elections, however, according to Thunberg, no one widely discussed the topic of climate change. This angered her, after which she decided instead of studying to begin a “school strike” in front of the parliament building in Stockholm. The Swede came out with a poster, demanding that politicians comply with the terms of the Paris Climate Agreement, and promised to skip school until they meet the requirements of the treaty.

Photo: video frame

In September, after the elections in Sweden, the girl began to miss classes only on Fridays, coming to a single picket to the parliament building. By that time, her story was spread in the media: local residents began to take pictures with her, and sometimes joined the protests. The girl’s ideas were shared by schoolchildren in various countries, also refusing to attend classes on Fridays.

In February, 2019, several thousand schoolchildren took to the streets of the UK calling on the government to pay attention to the issue of climate change. Rallies of teenagers, inspired by the example of Thunberg, were held in 270 cities of the world, including Australia, Belgium, the United States and Japan. In total, they were visited by up to 20 thousand people.

Activism Thunberg found support from the older generation. In November, 2018 of the Year, she spoke at the TED conference in Stockholm, criticizing the indifference that people show towards climate change. Arguing that her children and grandchildren would ask her why she didn’t take any action in 2018, when there was still time, she said: “We cannot change the world by playing by the rules, because the rules should be changed.”

In December, Thunberg went to Poland at the UN Climate Change Conference, where she gave a speech. She also discussed the importance of reducing harmful emissions into the atmosphere with UN Secretary-General António Guterres. A month later, in January 2019, the girl spoke at a conference in Davos. Unlike many delegates who flew to the event on private jets, the 32 schoolgirl traveled an hour by train from Sweden.

In her second column for The Guardian, she turned to world leaders, urging them to realize the seriousness of the climate change situation. “I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear that I feel every day, and then begin to act, ”said the Swede. It was during these six months of activism that the members of the left parties of Sweden and Norway nominated her for the Nobel Peace Prize, along with the other candidates 300, among which, for example, Donald Trump.

However, not everyone agrees with the activism of the Swedes. The publication Echo24 noted the immaturity of the schoolgirl’s views and the public propensity for “cheap emotions”. The newspaper Göteborgs-Posten agreed with this thought, pointing out that it is impossible to exalt and blindly follow the ideas of children, as they are “easily influenced by”. And the entrepreneur and lawyer Driya Godefridi was outraged by the demand of the schoolgirl to meet with representatives of the oil industry in order to bring them "accusations of crimes against humanity."

As for Thunberg herself, she does not believe that her popularity has benefited. “I do not believe that anything will change if our actions remain the same,” said the girl. In her opinion, none of the Swedish parties after the elections did not come close in their actions to the requirements of the Paris Climate Treaty.

In accordance with the Paris agreement, climate warming should be kept within two degrees and strive to limit the degree in 1,5. Sweden and the EU countries plan to achieve this by 2030 and 2050 years. It is difficult to say whether these plans will succeed.

“I don’t like people saying one thing and doing another. They say ecology is important, but they do nothing. It is necessary not only to speak, but also to do, ”- said Thunberg in February 2019. She is in high school and plans to continue to hold pickets on Fridays, skipping school classes. Until she decided whether to go on to study further or allocate more time for activism.

Read also on ForumDaily:

10 US cities that can go under water by 2050 year

Residents of dozens of countries complained of failures in Facebook and Instagram

What vaccinations are recommended for residents of the United States before traveling to post-Soviet countries

10 words that have completely different meanings in American and British English

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.