GO, GRETA!

This weekend, one protest in New York City, with 250 000 people, has caused a domino effect and inspired numerous others in some of the rest of the biggest cities on Earth. The cause: political action on climate change. Leading that protest that brought the Big Apple: 16-year-old Swedish student Greta Thunberg.

Opening her address to her amassed followers, Thunberg thundered: "Do you think they'll hear us? We'll make them hear us!" Given how the protests she has inspired this week have become worldwide news, we now can safely say they did just that, and her followers could also be heard shouting her name like a football chant as she made her entrance. 

But Greta Thunberg is no ordinary teenage activist. At age 11, she was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder and selective mutism, and has also battled depression. She has been quoted as saying she considers her autism to be a superpower, not an illness, and that she only talks when necessary. Greta was just 8 when she first learned of climate change and even then, didn't understand why more was not being done to combat it. Before getting up on her soapbox at school about climate change, she even persuaded her mother, successful opera singer Malena Ernman, to abandon her international career due to the ecological hazards of aviation. (Greta reportedly travelled to NYC on a carbon-free yacht.)

As a fellow Aspie, and somebody concerned about the global environment, of course I can't help but salute Thunberg for what she has and is doing, but I don't think her achievements will be limited to change in just environmentalism and disability inclusion. Greta now has a worldwide platform and audience, just like Malala Yousafzai has had, to become a real inspiration for young girls (and women) everywhere, to show they can indeed command a massive following and maybe even spur our leaders into making a positive difference - or even, to become such leaders themselves. I will follow Greta Thunberg's career with great enthusiasm, support, and faith.

Source: https://theconversation.com/greta-thunbergs-voice-speaks-just-as-loud-as-her-words-122142