Climate activist Greta Thunberg turns 18 | DW News

Greta Thunberg, the Swedish teenage environmental activist, has turned 18. Becoming an adult in Swedish comes with a lot of freedoms, including the right to vote and stand for office. And that's important to Thunberg who has often said "Every election is a climate election."
The world got to know her as a 15 year old. Sitting outside the Swedish parliament, protesting for action on climate change.
With her slogan 'school strike for the climate' Thunberg invited her classmates to join her and skip school on Fridays to protest.
Her message went viral - and global. She repeatedly scolded world leaders’ reactions to global warming.
Ultimately her protest inspired the 'Friday's for future' demonstrations - which gained major traction with young people around the world.
But the movement also hit home with a lot of older people - people concerned that they had seen too little climate action in their lifetimes.
Her message was clear and simple.
ln 2019 the environmental activist sailed two weeks across the Atlantic on a zero carbon yacht to New York to deliver a message to the UN's climate action summit. There, she reminded the world that she was still just a child and her thoughts should be elsewhere.
But now Thunberg is turning 18 - making her an adult in the eyes of Swedish law. She will finally be able to vote and hold to account politicians she accuses of passing the climate buck onto children.
She says for her nothing has changed, the world needs to treat climate change as the true crisis it is - here and now.

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[vichu]

Now she cannot blame the adults who are spoiling the climates and childrens future

[henryzhan]

Finally, she can vote to change nothing.

[America_bombsTSMC]

Activist? Shouting out few words can change the temperature? Just a icon to be used by media for hype.

[otenc-p]

can we criticise her as an adult now? or is she still going to be protected?

[Deathstaroya]

so she's old enough to get a proper job?

[EVZYL]

Best news ever. Now she has to stop hiding behind the 'I'm just a child' excuse and it's open season. Gloves off!

[adrianh]

Thank goodness, now her groupies can no longer attempt to shame into silence criticism of her by claiming a child is being bullied.

[ihussain]

People seriously have too much time on their hands...

[nigangte]

Finally no one can say child harassment for calling her out for her hypocrisy.

[Rahul-urjy]

Greta thunberg Turns 18
So what should we do ?
Dance?

[ricgl]

18 years old still doesn't make you an expert in complex topics, and less without the proper education.

[lachdananx]

Great, now she can take responsibility for her own decisions, starting with the fact that humans require energy.

[hardtechnoboy]

She looked 45 by the age of 10. Never before in the history of mankind has anyone ever been so much in love with the sound of her own voice.

[lidapickardt]

I‘m very curious now how will she apply her most famous „ how dare you?!“ on Fukushima waste water back into sea

[shintenkai]

Hey greta, come fix my solar panel. Oh wait you ain't got a clue how.

[mick_gonzo]

Thought we'd heard the last of St Greta

[mjones]

"Nothing is more powerful (armies, etc) than an idea whose time has come" Victor Hugo

The Covid-19 Pandemic certainly is a world crisis, but we will get past it with vaccines, treatment, etc.

But we will NOT get past the destruction of the planet !!!

Thank you Greta for continuing to get the message out there to our world leaders and everyone !!!

Happy Birthday Greta !!!

[yperman]

You think China USA India Russia South America or Africa is going to take apart their economies? Better plan for climate change capitalism isn't green.

[BigMamaDaveX]

Me: Ask me if I care.
DW: Do you care?
Me: I'm glad you asked. NO.
DW: Thank you for sharing such an honest answer with us.
Me: My pleasure.

[qiancaotang]

she‘d better learn some science and math first before she does her show.