TIME magazine names Greta Thunberg Person of the Year

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was named Time magazine's Person of the Year for 2019.

Thunberg, 16, has urged immediate action to address a global climate crisis and starting a global movement demanding action from government leaders. She is the youngest person to get the TIME acknowledgement.

.@GretaThunberg is TIME's 2019 Person of the Year #TIMEPOY https://t.co/YZ7U6Up76v pic.twitter.com/SWALBfeGl6

— TIME (@TIME) December 11, 2019

"Thunberg began a global movement by skipping school: starting in August 2018, she spent her days camped out in front of the Swedish Parliament, holding a sign painted in black letters on a white background that read Skolstrejk för klimatet: “School Strike for Climate.” the magazine notes.

"In the 16 months since, she has addressed heads of state at the U.N., met with the Pope, sparred with the President of the United States and inspired 4 million people to join the global climate strike on September 20, 2019, in what was the largest climate demonstration in human history. Her image has been celebrated in murals and Halloween costumes, and her name has been attached to everything from bike shares to beetles. Margaret Atwood compared her to Joan of Arc. After noticing a hundredfold increase in its usage, lexicographers at Collins Dictionary named Thunberg’s pioneering idea, climate strike, the word of the year."

Thunberg spoke COP25 Climate Conference in Madrid before the announcement, encouraging action in the next decade.

“Well I am telling you there is hope. I have seen it.
But it does not come from governments or corporations.
It comes from the people.”

Here’s a small part from my speech today at the #cop25 in Madrid. pic.twitter.com/Dg8pz969yS

— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) December 11, 2019

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