Greta Thunberg
Greta Thunberg is a Swedish environmental activist and possibly one of the most influential and inspiring activists of recent years.
Greta’s foray into activism began at her school when she inspired her fellow students to participate in youth climate strikes. In 2018, Greta addressed the United Nations Climate Conference which sparked more climate strikes all around the world.
Following on from the success in her home country, Greta gave speeches around Europe, including Viva!‘s hometown, Bristol. And of course Viva! staff and supporters were there to march with Greta and spread the important message as part of our Vegan Now! campaign.
In her 2021 short film, For Nature, Greta addressed pandemics, climate change, landuse and habitat destruction and pleaded for everyone to change to a plant-based diet.1UNDESA DISD. 2021. 2021. #ForNature by Greta Thunberg. [online video] Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdSJTvvWNzk [Accessed 2 November 2021].
“If we change towards a plant-based diet, we could save up to 8 billion tonnes of CO₂, every single year. We could feed ourselves on much less land, and nature could recover. Pandemics, loss of biodiversity, climate disruption, acidifcation of oceans, inequality, loss of fertile topsoil: these are all just symptoms. What they all come down to is the way we treat nature.”1UNDESA DISD. 2021. 2021. #ForNature by Greta Thunberg. [online video] Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdSJTvvWNzk [Accessed 2 November 2021].
“Every year we kill more than 60 billion animals, excluding fish, whose numbers are so great that we only measure their lives by weight. What about their thoughts and feelings? Some animals plan for the future and forge friendships that last for decades. They play, they help each other, they show signs of what we call empathy. But 70 percent of the animals we farm live inside factories … their lives are short and terrible. It is heartbreaking to know all this but it is also our opportunity. We know what we can do. We can change the way we farm. We can change what we eat.”2VegNews. 2022. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdSJTvvWNzk [Accessed 20 October 2023].
