„Greta Thunberg UN Speech“ (2019)
Greta Thunberg, student and climate activist (2003)
„How dare you!“ Greta shouts several times to those present at the UN climate summit with tears in her eyes and a brittle voice. September 2019, a 16-year-old girl sits in front of dozens of heads of state and government. She dares to say exactly what she thinks.
Climate change continues to progress, and all the measures devised by the world’s powerful leaders are usually not implemented efficiently. Children grow up in a world with diesel scandals and melting polar caps. This is precisely why a 16-year-old girl in 2018 came up with the idea of skipping school every Friday, and instead went to the streets of Stockholm to set an example for a better climate policy. She has thus not only set off a wave in her home country Sweden, but worldwide and has become the face of the movement herself.
Confrontation and drama in her speech
The factor of confrontation clearly expresses that Greta directly addresses the problems of global climate policy. She does not shy away from verbal blows – no matter who she addresses. In connection with the high degree of openness, she also clearly states her opinion and personal attitude to climate policy at the communicative level. The high factor of drama polarizes, and it divides people into two groups – supporters and opponents of her movement. This makes it more difficult to change the world. In the future, she will have to ask herself whether she only wants to attract attention to the issue or whether she wants to make a real difference by motivating both her supporters and opponents to take action.