“I am doing this because you adults are shitting on my future.” Last year, a 15-year-old girl in pigtails bunked school and camped outside the Swedish Parliament to hand out this message to anyone who passed by. In just eight months since, Greta Thunberg has inspired students, first in Sweden, then in Europe and now in 123 countries across the world, including India, to cut classes and march in protest demanding better environmental policies from their politicians. For this act of leadership, Greta has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize this year.

Who is Greta Thunberg?

After a particularly scorching summer sparked wildfires across Sweden last year, Greta Thunberg learnt about the looming threat of global warming and climate change. The adults weren’t doing enough, and so she must, Greta realised. For one month, from August to September 2018, when Sweden’s parliamentary elections took place, Greta bunked school and parked herself on the cobblestone steps outside the Swedish Parliament. She would hand out pamphlets to passers-by, urging them to act. She drew support from some parliamentarians, who joined her in protest. After the elections, Greta went back to school, but attends classes only four days a week. She spends her Fridays protesting outside the Parliament.

A little detail: Greta suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder and selective mutism, all of which affect how she processes her environment. However, Greta believes these ‘gifts’ have given her the ability to focus, and speak (up) only when necessary.

How serious is Greta about climate change? For one, her family has gone vegan, drives an electric car, cycles wherever possible and has cut back on any wasteful consumption. Her mother, a leading opera singer, has stopped taking flights, even though it has severely affected her career. As has Greta who made a 30-hour train journey to Davos to address corporate leaders at the World Economic Forum. “I want you to panic,” she told them.

Greta’s global ‘climate strikes’

Greta Thunberg’s ‘climate strike’ is turning into a global movement. Inspired by her, students in schools and colleges across the world have started skipping classes to protest against climate change. Today, on 15 March itself, students from 123 countries are participating in over 2,000 rallies and events against climate change.

That is the current map of #schoolstrike4climate planned around the world for this Friday! https://t.co/SpV13s6AGM I wonder: Has there ever been such widespread protest action in human history? #FridaysForFuture pic.twitter.com/ddedrzFqff — Stefan Rahmstorf (@rahmstorf) March 13, 2019

There are some who speculate that this is all part of a well-planned PR exercise. But if a publicity stunt can help stop climate change, would you want to stand in the way?