We’ve all heard of the islands of plastic floating in the ocean; killing our marine life, and the thousands of trees burned to ash in the Amazon Rainforest. We all know the danger our climate is in, but who is standing up to the people who believe rising sea levels and carbon dioxide emissions will not affect them because of the amount of power and money they think they have?  

Greta Thunberg, a teenager from Sweden, is preventing our world from possible death. Over the past month, Greta has organized multiple climate strikes and has spoken at many climate events. Bearing her words like a sword, she slays the ignorance of men and women in power. In one of her many almighty quotes, Greta states, “You have stolen my dreams, my childhood, with your empty words…We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about are your fairy tales of money and eternal economic growth.” 

As Greta has pointed out, the representatives of our country are more interested with persuaded dollars from fossil fuel companies rather than our planet. Unknown to most people, Greta Thunberg is surprisingly on the autism spectrum. Even though this doesn’t put a dent in Greta’s courage and intrepidity; Fox News host Michael Knowles called Greta Thunberg “a mentally ill Swedish child.” Again, Greta continues her movement; unscrupled, as she believes her disability to be her superpower. I can’t help but to agree.

Last year, at Dartmouth Middle School the National Junior Honor Society asked students to sign a petition to change the plastic straws available at lunch to the much more eco-friendly paper straw. Many signed, but a few refused to sign solely because the paper straws would disintegrate after a while in their drink. I could not understand what I was hearing. While hundreds of aquatic animals were dying because of the amount of plastic in the ocean, some students couldn’t simply deal with microscopic pieces of harmless paper in their sugary soda to help save our planet. 

Overall, we should all be aware of the role models that are representing our future and the safety of our future. Regardless of your stance on climate change, clean and renewable is better than dirty energy from burning oil and coal. We need to forget our differences and remember what Greta is doing to help our future. As a country, we need to put our prejudice thoughts to bed and focus on the health of our planet. She’s a light at the end of the pollution filled and oil-soaked tunnel we’re trudging through this very second.