Greta Thunberg and Youth Activism

There was one particular event back in 2019 that Donald Trump couldn’t wrap his head around: 17-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg was named Time’s Person of the Year, instead of him.

“So ridiculous,” Mr. Trump wrote on twitter. “Greta must work on her anger management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill!”

Ms. Thunberg responded by changing her Twitter profile’s bio to read:

“A teenager working on her anger management problem, currently chilling and watching a good old fashioned movie with a friend.”

It was no surprise to see this attack on a 16-year-old climate activist from a man whose administration has denied climate change and retracted environmental regulations. President Trump isn’t the only politician to disapprove of the young Swedish activist.

Tomi Lahren, a conservative political commentator, tweeted: “‘Activist’ Greta Thunberg named TIME magazine ‘person of the year.’ Anyone know what she did besides skip school and throw a tantrum?” 

Another convservative commentator and Fox News guest, Michael Knowles, called Ms. Thunberg “a mentally ill child” on live television.

These are all adults who believe climate change should not be seen as a pressing issue, because they believe there is not enough scientific evidence to prove it’s real. They also believe teenagers are less reliable on issues like climate change, because they have less “experience than them.”

The voices of young people matter precisely because they are young. Many policies affect them already, and if they don’t yet, they soon will. Gen Z is bringing innovative ideas to the table and bringing creativity to policy. Voting, volunteering, educating ourselves and taking part in public demonstrations are all examples of how we can strive to become mindful activists.

The issue is, the young vote decreases over time because we feel disenfranchised from our government. Our generation’s voice is a high priority, because it’s a matter of global sustainability. When young people speak out and are ignored or ridiculed, we tend to lose hope. People have different opinions on whether Gen Z should have a more important role in policies that affect our society. If you ask my opinion, I believe we should be a part of the discussion and decision-making process in world issues. These issues do affect our lives, so how could we not have a say?

• activism
• climate change
• social justice
• volunteer