Greta Thunberg Essay Example

“You’re never too small to make a difference.” This was said by Greta Thunberg. This means no matter your physical size, nor your role in society, you can change some for the better. This is true because Greta Thunberg was only 15 when she went on strike from school to save the climate. Greta thunberg is a social activist. Greta Thunberg embodies the traits of an IB learner as a social activist. She is an inquirer, a communicator, a risk-taker, and she is reflective. I think two of the most important traits of being a social activist is being reflective, and being a risktaker. 

Being a risk-taker means approaching unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage. Greta Thunberg is a risk-taker because she knew she could get in trouble for many reasons. One reason was that she was skipping school. Another reason Greta Thunberg could have gotten in trouble for was protesting in front of the government building, she also was encouraging others to do so too. Even though she could have gotten in trouble, she went through with her strike so she could try to save the environment. One example of Greta Thunberg being a risk-taker was stated in the book Greta’s Story: The School Girl Who Went on Strike to Save the Planet written by Valentine Camerini. On page 42 the book states, “Perhaps by skipping school she would end up in trouble but she was prepared to suffer the consequences of her choices.” The shows Greta Thunberg is a risk-taker when she made the decision not to go to school, but instead go on strike.  Another example from the book was on page 46. The book states, “With Greta having Asperger’s Syndrome her parents and her were worried she would get uncontrollable anxiety.” Even though Greta Thunberg and her parents were worried about Greta’s health if she went on strike, Greta Thunberg still went on strike from school to save the environment's health. That is why being a risk-taker helped Greta Thunberg to be a social activist.  

Being reflective means giving thoughtful consideration to your learning and experience. Greta Thunberg is reflective because she thinks about her previous habits and routines and how environmentally friendly they were. After she realizes her mistakes she improves on. Greta Thunberg realizes the effects humans have on the environment and she tries to inform everyone about the ways they can live their lives being more eco-friendly. One example of this is written in the book Greta’s Story: The School Girl Who Went on Strike to Save the Planet written by Valentine Camerini. “While there were people worried about fleeing wars, they continued to travel, eat meat, and drive big cars without thinking about the effects they had on the environment.”(page 24) This shows how Greta Thunberg and her family think about how they previously didn’t think about their carbon footprint. But now they have become vegetarians and they stopped flying when they go on vacation. Another example from the book is on page 32. The book states, “Greta realized that her unsustainable lifestyle was the problem.” This shows that Greta Thunberg realized that the effects of climate change will not reverse by itself and that human behavior was the issue. That is why Greta Thunberg is a reflective social activist. 

Greta Thunberg embodies the traits of an IB learner as a social activist. She takes the role of an inquirer, a risk-taker, a communicator, and she is reflective.