In honor of the International Day of Women & Girls in Science, we’re spotlighting one of the most recognizable young climate activists of our time: Greta Thunberg. From her first “School Strike for Climate” sign in 2018 to launching the global Fridays for Future movement, Greta has transformed youth climate activism into a worldwide call for climate justice. We dig into how her activism began, the major speeches that went viral, her zero-emissions Atlantic crossing, her books and documentaries, and where her advocacy has shifted in recent years. Plus, we close with a “Next Green Thing” inspired by STEM equity—because empowering girls in science is empowering the future of climate solutions.

Main Points

• International Day of Women & Girls in Science: why it matters and how it supports gender equity in STEM
• Greta Thunberg’s origin story: climate awareness at age 8 and activism beginning in 2018
• The rise of Fridays for Future and how it spread globally
• Greta’s viral moments: COP24, U.N. speeches, and “How dare you!”
• Her values in action: veganism, refusing to fly, and the zero-emissions yacht journey
• Major milestones: Time Person of the Year, Nobel Peace Prize nominations, books + documentaries
• Where Greta is now: activism beyond climate, continued protest of COP, and evolving public perceptio
• Big discussion questions: Will her focus shift as she gets older? How do older generations show up?

For this week’s Next Green Thing, we’re honoring Women & Girls in Science with action: check out the National Girls Collaborative Project’s “5 Ways to Be a STEM Champion for Girls,” from countering stereotypes to supporting girl-serving programs. Because the more girls we empower in STEM today, the more climate problem-solvers we have tomorrow.

• 00:00 Introduction
• 07:01 International Day of Women and Girls in Science
• 08:33 Greta Thunberg
• 16:26 Our Thoughts on Greta
• 31:52 Next Green Thing

Resources

• https://www.womeninscienceday.org/our-history.html
• https://www.biography.com/activists/greta-thunberg
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greta_Thunberg
• https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/16/world/greta-thunberg-cop24/index.html
• https://www.npr.org/2019/09/23/763452863/transcript-greta-thunbergs-speech-at-the-u-n-climate-action-summit
• https://ngcproject.org/resources/5-ways-be-stem-champion-girls-2025

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