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Yes, Greta Thunberg Deserves to Be TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year
One might think that recognizing a teenager trying to saving the planet might be a universal no-brainer, but many people aren’t pleased.
I’d never heard of Greta Thunberg until her fiery, passionate speech to the UN on September 23, 2019.
But with just a few pointed words to world leaders about their ineffective response to the global climate crisis, the 16 year-old climate activist from Sweden grabbed my — and millions of other people’s — attention.
“People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing,” said Greta, her emotion palpable. “We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you!”
TIME Magazine announced Greta Thunberg as its Person of The Year, making her the youngest person ever to receive this honor. The publication’s rationale was as follows:
“For sounding the alarm about humanity’s predatory relationship with the only home we have, for bringing to a fragmented world a voice that transcends backgrounds and borders, for showing us all what it might look like when a new generation leads, Greta Thunberg is TIME’s 2019…
