"I want you to act as if the house is on fire, because it is..."

Four years ago yesterday, then 15-year-old student (now 19-year-old activist) Greta Thunberg started striking from school ahead of the Swedish general election. She wanted the Swedish government to reduce emissions and protested by sitting outside the Swedish parliament for three weeks straight during the start of her ninth grade in school. After her demonstration gained the spotlight, and after Sweden’s general elections, she started striking every Friday, and over the course of a few months, helped to lead 20,000 students in protests over almost 300 cities.

In 2019, Thunberg made waves again as she landed in NYC in time for Thunberg to attend the UN Climate Action Summit. Unlike virtually every other attendee from outside the NYC area, she travelled by boat. And not just any boat, a 60-foot racing yacht with solar panels and wind turbines, designed to have zero impact on carbon emissions. That same year in Davos, Thunberg arrived after a 30+ hour train journey in contrast to the 1,500 individual private jets.

Thunberg, of course, is a climate change activist, dedicating to reducing her carbon footprint. She has a long list of accolades, despite her young age. But what started this all was the idea that she could change just one person’s mind about their actions on climate change. As a young girl, she convinced her family to go vegetarian, to stop flying, to buy an electric car, and to reduce their carbon footprint. This involved real changes to her parents’ livelihoods, their families, and their lives. And once she realized she could change them, she thought there was a chance she could change others.

Thunberg is most known for her ability to speak her truth, even to adults, even when it makes them uncomfortable. She has noted that she has Asperger’s syndrome, and that she thinks of this as her superpower.

Adults keep saying we owe it to the young people, to give them hope, but I don’t want your hope. I don’t want you to be hopeful. I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. I want you to act. I want you to act as you would in a crisis. I want you to act as if the house is on fire, because it is.

Watching her on an episode of the Daily Show moved me – as someone who flies a lot, and who doesn’t always think too much of it, I was inspired to try better and try harder to do my part. Her message that we can each be better informed, make better decisions, and do better for one another and for our younger generations is one that I hope we are instilling in each of our students.

-Reshma