{"id":20183,"date":"2019-03-14T12:06:47","date_gmt":"2019-03-14T10:06:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/feministeerium.ee\/?p=20183"},"modified":"2026-08-07T16:15:37","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T13:15:37","slug":"greta-thunberg-we-need-to-change-the-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.feministeerium.ee\/en\/greta-thunberg-we-need-to-change-the-system\/","title":{"rendered":"Greta Thunberg: \u201cWe need to change the system\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"lead\">Greta Thunberg, 16, is a Swedish climate activist. In December 2018, her speech at the UN Climate Change Summit in Poland made international headlines after she criticised world leaders for their inaction.<!--more--><\/p>\n<aside class=\"important-information\"><strong>GRETA THUNBERG\u2019S MILESTONES<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>3 January 2003:\u00a0<\/strong>Greta Thunberg was born.<br \/>\n<strong>August 2018:\u00a0<\/strong>Start of Greta\u2019s school strikes.<br \/>\n<strong>December 2018:<\/strong>\u00a0Greta gave her speech at the 2018 UN Climate Change Conference in Katowice, Poland.<br \/>\n<strong>December 2018:<\/strong>\u00a0<em>Time<\/em>magazine named Greta \u2018<em>One of the world\u2019s 25 most influential teenagers of 2018<\/em>\u2018.<\/p>\n<p><strong>HISTORY OF WOMEN\u2019S RIGHTS IN SWEDEN<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>1919:<\/strong>\u00a0Women get the right to vote.<br \/>\n<strong>1922:<\/strong>\u00a0The first five women were elected to the parliament.<br \/>\n<strong>1974:<\/strong>\u00a0Parental leave replaces maternity leave.<br \/>\n<strong>1975:<\/strong>\u00a0Abortion permitted until 18th week of pregnancy.<br \/>\n<strong>1980:<\/strong>\u00a0Law against gender discrimination in working life is introduced.<br \/>\n<strong>1983:<\/strong> All jobs are open to women, even within the Swedish Armed Forces.<\/aside>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>In August 2018, you started a school strike to raise awareness of the dangers of climate change. When did you feel your voice started being heard?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>On the second day, maybe. The first day, I was alone but on the second day people started joining in. I think it\u2019s incredible that one person can set out to do something and within a day, people start supporting and joining them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Do you think people from your generation are more receptive to environmental issues?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t like it when people say one thing and then do something else. That\u2019s the case with the climate crisis. People say: \u201cThis is the most important issue of all,\u201d and carry on as they did before. I don\u2019t understand that. For me this is black and white; either we adhere to the Paris Agreement or we don\u2019t. There are no grey areas when it comes to survival. So I started reading about it and I think what sparked my interest was that it was too unrealistic. Climate change threatens our entire existence, and yet no one seems to care or know much about it.<\/p>\n<p>People my age know that global warming is caused by greenhouse gas emissions, which will cause polar ice caps to melt and more extreme weather conditions. But they don\u2019t know what that means and they don\u2019t know about the urgent change that\u2019s needed to prevent it all, either.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>What does your family think about your action?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>My parents think I should go to school, of course, but they\u2019re happy that [the strikes] only take place on Fridays. They asked me if there was anything else I could do and I told them: \u201cNo, this is what I\u2019m going to do.\u201d So even if they don\u2019t support it, they understand why I\u2019m doing it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Was it a compromise that you would only strike on Fridays?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>No, it wasn\u2019t. I sat outside the parliament for three weeks, every single school day. After the elections I thought: \u201cWhy stop now when I got so much attention, when people are actually listening to me? If I continue to sit here until Sweden is in line with the Paris Agreement, then it\u2019s more powerful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The climate crisis didn\u2019t stop with the elections. It doesn\u2019t really matter which party wins, because no party has the politics needed to meet the Paris Agreement. So if I would have stopped there, it would have been as if I was saying: \u201cIt\u2019s over now because the elections are over.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>How do you find a balance between your daily life and your activism?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve stopped doing things I used to do. When I\u2019m at home, I\u2019m either very active doing or planning things, contacting people, or just lying on the sofa. It\u2019s never in-between.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Indigenous communities around the world are not only hit by climate change, but the size of their land is shrinking. Have you spoken to the S\u00e1mi community in Sweden, Norway, Finland or even in Russia?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I know some people who are active in that community. They\u2019re fighting to very important things and I admire them a lot, but everyone needs to be a part of this. We need to do everything together.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>People know you for your climate activism, but what are your thoughts on the current political climate in Sweden and Europe in general?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I think where we are headed now is wrong, we need to change path, and we need to pull the emergency brake because in a crisis like this you have to pull the emergency brake. The politics needed doesn\u2019t exist today. We need to change the system rather than the climate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Sweden is often seen as a role model with regards to tackling climate change, or narrowing the gender gap. Why are you so critical of it?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sweden isn\u2019t a role model. It is among the top ten countries in the world with the highest ecological footprints per capita. We live as if we had 4.2 planets, and that in itself isn\u2019t sustainable. I don\u2019t think there are any role models in the world today. If I had to choose one, then maybe I would choose developing countries that have very low emissions per capita. Still, they need to be given the chance to heighten their standard of living as well.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<div id=\"attachment_20203\" style=\"width: 543px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-20203\" class=\"size-full wp-image-20203\" src=\"https:\/\/feministeerium.ee\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Greta-Thunberg-by-hannah-goldstein_6_opt-e1552498236751.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"533\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/staging.feministeerium.ee\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Greta-Thunberg-by-hannah-goldstein_6_opt-e1552498236751.jpg 533w, https:\/\/staging.feministeerium.ee\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Greta-Thunberg-by-hannah-goldstein_6_opt-e1552498236751-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 533px) 100vw, 533px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-20203\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image: Hannah Goldstein<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>You say our leaders have failed us and they\u2019ll probably fail us again. Do you think going in to politics makes any sense at all? What\u2019s the key to change things?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In general, people don\u2019t have the basic knowledge [they need] about the climate crisis. If they don\u2019t know about it, they can\u2019t pressure politicians and people in power, so they just ignore it. The change has to come from the people themselves, so that they can put pressure on politicians to act.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>You shared the fact that you have Asperger\u2019s publicly and in your TEDx talk, you said that you only speak when it\u2019s necessary. How did you react to the diagnosis?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I was very depressed and stopped going to school because I didn\u2019t see the point in living. But then, when I was diagnosed, it sort of confirmed why I\u2019m a different kind of person. That can be a strength because today, everyone acts, looks and talks the same way, and that hasn\u2019t proven to be very successful so we need people who think outside of the box.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>How do you feel about being named one of the most influential teenagers in the world by\u00a0<em>Time\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><strong>magazine?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I was very surprised when they contacted me saying I might be one of them. I was happy that the two girls aiming to ban plastic bags were on the list too. I\u2019m very hopeful because there aren\u2019t that many environmental and climate activists who have been listed so far.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Do you have a role model?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m inspired by many women. But if I had to pick a few, I\u2019d say Rosa Parks and Malala Yousafzai, because they are proof that one person can change the world. When you\u2019re in the climate and environmental activism community, I think, it\u2019s mostly women who are engaged and willing to give up some of their habits.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>How do you feel about feminism? What is your opinion on gender inequality?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Feminism is very important. We can\u2019t have a sustainable society if only half of the population is included. It\u2019s great that it\u2019s being discussed more and more, but we need to do things that actually make a difference, not just talk about them.<\/p>\n<p>As for gender inequality, in Sweden, we\u2019re better off than many other countries. But men and women are still not equal, not anywhere in the world, and that\u2019s a fact. Just look at who owns the money, who the billionaires are, who has the power, who the heads of state are. Sweden, for example, has never had a female prime minister.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>How should we act on this?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If we were living more sustainably, I think people would be more equal. There wouldn\u2019t be such a difference in people\u2019s lifestyles and everyone would live within the planetary boundaries.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p><strong style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">What do you think about the #MeToo movement? Have things improved in Sweden?<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>I\u2019ve talked to many women who say its made a huge difference in their lives, like my mum or my sister, and that\u2019s good. A conversation has been sparked here in Sweden, but there\u2019s more that needs to be done<\/p>\n<aside class=\"important-information\">\u2022 <strong>Gender pay gap<\/strong>: 13,3 % (<a href=\"https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/eurostat\/statistics-explained\/index.php\/Gender_pay_gap_statistics\">Eurostat<\/a>, 2016)<br \/>\n\u2022\u00a0<strong>Political representation:<\/strong>46,1% of parliamentarians are women (<a href=\"https:\/\/data.worldbank.org\/indicator\/SG.GEN.PARL.ZS\">World Bank<\/a>, 2018)<\/aside>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>What are the main problems young women are facing in Sweden today?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t really know, but I think women are not taken seriously and many girls, including me sometimes, are not taken seriously. They say: \u201cYou\u2019re just a girl and no one will take you seriously.\u201d But then I want to prove them wrong.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Where do you see yourself at the age of 30?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Hopefully I won\u2019t be working on fighting climate change because that would mean everything would be fixed, but I probably will be. I think more people will work in this field because it\u2019s only going to get more and more serious.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>What makes you hopeful? Desperate?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m hopeful that people aren\u2019t aware of the situation. If they were and carried on acting this way, without protesting, it would mean they are evil. But they don\u2019t know. So I\u2019m hopeful because humans aren\u2019t evil, we\u2019re just uninformed.<\/p>\n<p>Many things make me desperate, but one thing I\u2019m very afraid of is that \u2013 once we reach a certain point \u2013 there is no going back. We\u2019ll start a chain reaction, triggering events beyond our control and there will be no stopping it. That\u2019s very scary.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-20257 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/feministeerium.ee\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/piklik-logo.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"96\" srcset=\"https:\/\/staging.feministeerium.ee\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/piklik-logo.jpg 1191w, https:\/\/staging.feministeerium.ee\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/piklik-logo-600x94.jpg 600w, https:\/\/staging.feministeerium.ee\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/piklik-logo-300x47.jpg 300w, https:\/\/staging.feministeerium.ee\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/piklik-logo-768x121.jpg 768w, https:\/\/staging.feministeerium.ee\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/piklik-logo-1024x161.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 614px) 100vw, 614px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The interview was published in the framework of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/sistersofeurope.com\/#about\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sisters of Europe<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/em><em style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Sisters of Europe is an empowerment project to inspire and better connect women across Europe, through 17 inspiring stories, a series of events and a list of concrete proposals. Read the other interviews <a href=\"https:\/\/feministeerium.ee\/en\/tag\/sistersofeurope\/\">here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Greta Thunberg, 16, is a Swedish climate activist. In December 2018, her speech at the UN Climate Change Summit in Poland made international headlines after she criticised world leaders for their inaction.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":20200,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1919],"tags":[1177,758,759],"class_list":["post-20183","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world","tag-climate-change","tag-sistersofeurope","tag-sweden"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.feministeerium.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20183","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.feministeerium.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.feministeerium.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.feministeerium.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.feministeerium.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20183"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/staging.feministeerium.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20183\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44803,"href":"https:\/\/staging.feministeerium.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20183\/revisions\/44803"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.feministeerium.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.feministeerium.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.feministeerium.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20183"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.feministeerium.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}