Activist Greta Thunberg has been detained by German police.
Now, Greta Thunberg has become one of the biggest names in the world.
And now, years later, the young activist continues to dominate headlines.
Her career started when she was only fifteen.
Starting one day in August 2018, a then fifteen-year-old Thunberg decided to skip school to sit outside Sweden’s Parliament in Stockholm with the simple sign “Skolstrejk För Klimatet” — translating to “School Strike for Climate.”
She continued doing this every week.
And vowed to not stop until her government had done something about the climate change crisis.
It didn’t take long for her message to catch on.
Suddenly, millions of people were inspired to also do the same.
People all over the world had taken to the streets to fight against climate change.
Her decision to protest peacefully has really changed the direction of the movement as a whole.
2019 was a whirlwind year for the teenager.
Thunberg attended numerous marches and protests all over the world and was even invited to the UN Climate Conference in New York, which she traveled to on a zero-emissions boat.
And during the event, she gave a scorching speech aimed at world leaders.
The activist blasted leaders and politicians for their lack of action regarding climate change.
“How dare you,” she exclaimed. “I shouldn’t be up here. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean, yet you all come to us young people for hope. How dare you?”
Her work was recognized globally…
And soon enough, she was declared as TIME’s Person of the Year for 2019.
Fast forward to 2022…
The now nineteen-year-old Thunberg became a pioneer in pushing the movement forward along with other fellow activists including Vanessa Nakate, Ayakha Melithafa, and Xiye Bastida.
Her unwavering commitment to saving our planet continues to inspire people to live more sustainably every day.
But alongside her admirers are her critics…
And former POTUS, Donald Trump, is one of those vicious critics.
Of course, we all know that Thunberg didn’t agree with Trump’s policies on climate change…
Especially when he made the decision to pull out of the vital Paris Climate Agreement.
The teenager has publicly slammed Trump on several occasions…
Which, of course, never went down well with the former hot-headed president!
Trump would often take to Twitter (before he was banned, of course) to slam Thunberg…
And in a very childish manner, the former president would enjoy tearing apart her name and legacy.
It was enough to drive anyone crazy…
But thankfully, Thunberg took it all with a pinch of salt and simply ignored Trump’s nasty comments until after the election.
During an interview in the United Kingdom, Thunberg was asked about the time she responded to Trump telling her to “chill” and “watch an old-fashioned movie” on Twitter.
For those who don’t remember, the activist tweeted back at Trump when he lost the election, saying: “Chill Donald, Chill!”
“I don’t see it as ‘I want revenge’ or something. I try, as much as I can, to not speak about individuals. Because that’s what they [politicians] do,” she said.
She then added:
“But of course, it is very hilarious when they write and say these kinds of things. It’s a very clear sign that they are seeing the climate movement as threats, and rather than speaking about the climate crisis itself, they try to shift the subject to someone like me.”
And a quote like that wasn’t just referencing Trump, but all world leaders that refuse to acknowledge the climate crisis.
The teenage climate activist has hit out at everyone that attended the Cop26 Climate Change Conference.
Thunberg claimed that world leaders are only “pretending” to care about the ongoing issue.
“This COP26 is so far just like the previous COPs and that has led us nowhere,” she told people attending a rally near the conference in Glasgow. “They have led us nowhere. Inside COP there are just politicians and people in power pretending to take our future seriously,” she said.
“Pretending to take the presence seriously of the people who are being affected already today by the climate crisis. Change is not going to come from inside there — that is not leadership.
“We say no more ‘blah blah blah.’ No more exploitation of people and nature of the planet. No more exploitation. No more whatever the fuck they’re doing inside there,” Thunberg continued.
But as candid as Thunberg has been professionally, there’s been a lot we don’t know about her personal life.
Until recently …
She really opened up in an interview with The Times.
Thunberg claimed that she would “never go out drinking,” adding, “I don’t know if that’s because I’m that kind of person or if it is because I don’t want to be ‘seen.'”
It’s this self-consciousness that she believes also affects her dating life.
“If I come up to them, you’re more vulnerable,” she said. “So you have people looking up to you, but you’re also much more vulnerable.”
Thunberg also claimed that she never keeps any of the money she makes from her activism.
“The proceeds that I will make will go to charity. It would be nice to have money, but by donating… For example, if I donate it to rewilding or nature conservation, I can start a debate on that.
“If I donate to refugees, you can talk about why – and then you can explain,” she said.
Thunberg also opened up about the unique position she holds amongst climate activists.
“There are very few who have the experience of being a grassroots campaigner and also being followed by the paparazzi.
“Someone recently told me I am an influencer, but I don’t like that,” she said.
“My position is very different!
“But we’re not doing all this because we want to. We’re doing this because it seems like you have to do something,” Thunberg confessed.
In the interview, the nineteen-year-old shared more juicy details about her life.
According to Bunte, Thunberg revealed that she does not live alone, but in a flat that she shares with 2 fellow residents.
As an autistic person, her life with other people isn’t so easy, however, Thunberg seems to cope well with it.
“I don’t know what happened to me either. I’ve gone from someone who never speaks to someone who hardly ever shuts up. Somehow I want to have people around me all the time now. Otherwise, I do puzzles, embroidery, and talk a lot of nonsense,” she said.
The activist confessed the situation is quite different from her everyday life, which presents her with very special problems…
One being her indecisiveness.
“Sometimes I flip a coin or ask people without context: yes or no? It is very difficult for me to make decisions,” she said.
Reportedly, it mainly concerns unspectacular questions such as the choice to wear her socks, bigger decisions are much easier for her.
But her commitment to climate change remains her utmost passion, of course!
But today, Thunberg has been hit by some bad news …
She has been detained by police during a demonstration in Germany.
She was protesting the demolition of the village of Luetzerath, which is being cleared to make way for a coal mine.
It’s not yet confirmed as to why the police became involved in the protest.
What do you think of Thunberg’s predicament?