The “Greta Effect” and the Future of Youthful Climate Activism
This month marked Greta Thunberg’s last “School Strike for Climate”, a movement she began in 2018, at just 15. "Today, I graduate from school, which means I'll no longer be able to school strike for the climate," Thunberg, 20, announced on Twitter.
It would be hard to find a young person who has more worldwide recognition than Thunberg, whose influence has been described as the “Greta Effect”, prompting a Yale study by the same name. As someone who eschews empty fame, Thunberg has been stridently pushing forward to save our planet as if her own life depended on it, earning her a voice on the global stage, and 5 Nobel Peace Prize nominations.
While governments and politicians ignore climate change, and global leaders appear mired in disagreement over the solutions, the sobering reality is all our lives may now depend on climate activism and in particular youthful activism, like Thunberg’s.
Too many adults, it turns out, are guilty of either ignorance or complacency.
Greta Thunberg sets an example for us all of what one person can do. And while her individual school protests have come to a close, she leaves a legacy of protests that will continue without her.
Since Greta’s initial protest in 2018, her movement has grown to include multiple movements throughout Europe, the US, and Australia, and is now known as Fridays for Future (FFF) or School Strike for Climate. Hundreds of FFF School strikes are taking place at this very moment.
Children all over the world have been inspired by Greta’s actions, and other forms of youth climate activism have cropped up. Young people are mobilizing to demand greater action on climate change. Whether taking to the streets, challenging laws through legal action, or striking at schools, kids are demanding change.
Thunberg is no longer alone. And she is not done.
In fact, her mission appears to be expanding, as evidenced this past week, when she met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to decry the resulting “ecocide” occurring during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Thunberg denounced Russian soldiers for targeting civilian lives and the environment and for the destruction of Ukraine’s Nova Kakhovka dam earlier this month. And then she took aim at the rest of us: “I do not think that the world reaction to this ecocide was enough,” she said.
The phenomenon of children leading the way in climate activism should not surprise us.
The phenomenon of children leading the way in climate activism should not surprise us. It should awaken us and inspire us.
Although climate change affects everyone, children are impacted the most. A recent survey of over 10,000 people all over the world between the ages of 16 and 25, revealed feelings of sadness, anger, powerlessness, and guilt over the effects of climate change. 83% of those surveyed agreed that people have failed to take care of planet Earth.
Young people are frustrated that the adults of the world have done such a poor job keeping it. As fires rage, more frequent and intense hurricanes and other climate disasters leave a wake of destruction, our kids are among the affected and the displaced. Kids are watching. And they are fearful.
What can parents do? First, be cognizant that the effects of climate change can be frightening to younger children, and it is important for parents to talk with them.
Second, it is important to model responsible actions that help reduce our individual carbon footprints and engage children in daily actions that they can take at home. While big changes are needed, even small choices that kids and parents make every day can have a big impact.
Third, listen to your kids and help guide them in school or community-sponsored green activities - or help start one in their own school, like the Green Actioneers program. Encourage them when they express a desire to engage in youth activism, such as the group of Montana teens currently challenging their state government’s pro-fossil fuel policies (in the first-ever youth-led lawsuit), where they can make an even bigger impact.
If our planet is to have a healthier future, our kids may be our biggest chance for it.
Join RESET Conversations on July 11th at 6 PM ET, when Dave Finnigan with Green Actioneers shares how your kids can do their part to save our planet at home, or at school. The Zoom event is free to the public.
