In conjunction with International Women’s Day on the 8th of March, we would like to feature an incredible female figure on the spectrum – Greta Thunberg! The following incredible facts of Greta Thunberg were compiled by a volunteer named Ozayr from Alice Smith School, as part of his community service project.

“Given the right circumstances, being different is a superpower” 

– Greta Thunberg

GRETA THUNBERG

Greta Thunberg was born in Stockholm, Sweden, on 3 January 2003. She is an environmentalist, known for her work to address climate change.

She first heard about the issue of climate change at the age of 8 and stopped speaking and eating temporarily when she was 11, because she was depressed knowing that little was done to address the issue.

Fridays for Future

(Photo taken from The Guardian)

Thunberg rose up to speak in August 2018, at the age of 15, where she started the movement – School Strike for Climate. Every Friday, she would skip school to raise awareness on climate change, and these Fridays were called Fridays for Future.

Thunberg would sit outside the Swedish parliament where she held up sign boards protesting to save the environment and stop global warming. Her action inspired hundreds of thousands of students around the world to participate in their own Fridays for Future.

Greta Thunberg and Autism

Did you know that Greta is on the autism spectrum?

How did Thunberg use her Autism to save the planet?

• She was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
• This led to her ability to be very focused on the topic of climate change and to speak up
• She is good at thinking outside the box – once, she sailed across the Atlantic ocean with a solar powered boat to go to the United Nations Climate Action Summit. 
• She also has repetitive behaviour which people would say is a problem but she used it to her advantage. She put all her energy towards what’s most important to her – the planet.
• She sees things in black and white that is why she does not understand why people are ignoring what is happening to the environment.
• She does not give in to bullies or people who attempted to make fun of her – Instead, she replied by saying that “haters will look at you differently because they have nowhere else to look. So that means you are winning and you have a superpower.”

 What has Thunberg done lately about the environment?

(Photo taken from BBC News)

• She spoke at the “Youth4Climate” forum where youths made a list of recommendations to the ministers who will attend COP26, which is a climate talk.
• She urged people not to give up hope, saying that change is “not only possible, but urgently necessary”.

Ozayr from Alice Smith School, who contributed to this article, sees Greta Thunberg as a great role model for autism awareness and environmental awareness, as she turned her difference into her superpower to help the planet!

References:

1. How Greta Thunberg’s autism helped make her the world’s most important person for 2020 | TheHill
2. Greta Thunberg is Leading a Global Climate Movement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRgJ-22S_Rs 
3. School Strike for Climate: Save the World By Changing the Rules (Greta Thunberg, TEDxStockholm): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAmmUIEsN9A  
4. Greta Thunberg’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/GretaThunberg?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
5. Greta Thunberg’s Speech at Youth4Climate Summit 2021 in Milan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceIE_ehQhtc