When Greta Thunberg was 11 years old, she withdrew from much of the world around her. As her mother wrote, she slowly disappeared “into some kind of darkness.” She stopped laughing and spoke to no one outside her family. She barely ate. Apart from her dog, she cared about only one thing: climate change. And her thoughts about it sometimes set off bouts of uncontrollable crying.
Greta’s parents took her to psychiatric professionals who, after reviewing her life history, placed her on the high end of the autism spectrum. They said that this kind of withdrawal sometimes happens at the beginning of puberty.
Her condition lasted four years, which were a living hell for her parents. Her mother constantly called schoolteachers and administrators to try to get them to understand that Greta, while bright, was struggling and required patience. The parents desperately tried to get her to eat, but progress was excruciatingly slow. They agonized over reports that Greta’s classmates bullied her because they considered her to be unfriendly and weird. Meanwhile, Greta’s younger sister became very angry at home, complaining that her parents only cared about Greta.
Medication helped Greta somewhat, as did recommendations from psychiatric clinics. But what made the biggest difference was her parents’ response to Greta’s preoccupation with global warming. Greta complained that airplanes emit enormous amounts of carbon dioxide, so the parents quit flying. She told them that vegan diets would reduce greenhouse emissions, so they became vegans. Moreover, they came to believe that Greta was right about the severe threats that global warming posed.
For Greta’s mother, Malena Ernman, the decision to stop flying meant the end of her career. She was a star opera singer who could no longer get to her performances on time. But she made the sacrifice.
Greta’s spirits improved, and in 2018, when she was 15, the family supported a venture that made her famous. She skipped school to sit alone in front of the Swedish Parliament building with a sign that read (translated into English) “Student Strike for Peace.” The media picked up her protest, and on the second day she was joined by others. By the end of her three-week vigil, a thousand children and adults sat with her. She continued the protests on Fridays, and was invited to speak at major conferences and gatherings.
Her successful protest filled her with energy, and, though smallish, she spoke with power. The world’s leaders, she said, weren’t doing nearly enough to halt global warming. They were failing humanity and the planet. She urged them to see that global warming is a crisis. In a 2019 speech to the World Economic Forum, she said, “I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. And then I want you to act. . . . I want you to act as if the house is on fire. Because it is.”
A study published in a 2024 issue of The Lancet journal indicates that many young people share Greta’s anguish. The investigators conducted an online survey of 15,793 16-to-25-year-olds in the U.S. Every state was sampled. Over all, 58 percent reported feeling “extremely” or “very” worried about climate change. More than 4 in 10 believed that their fears were harming their mental health, and half said global warming made them hesitant to have children. Over 8 in 10 felt that the U.S. government was failing young Americans.
Are young people’s fears realistic? A 2025 report from 60 leading climate scientists suggests that the answer is yes. The report warns that the planet is about to enter a danger zone envisioned by the 2015 Paris Agreement. According to this agreement, we cannot afford to let the global temperature rise 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. But the 2025 report states that this might happen within three years. If it does, we can anticipate floods, wildfires, heat waves, rising sea levels, and the loss of many species — all to an extent beyond anything we have seen so far.
It makes sense, then, that young people are so anxious. Their lives are largely scheduled to take place in an imperiled future.
In addition, a concern for the future is part of their normal development. As the psychoanalyst Erik Erikson discussed, individuals in their late teens and early 20s contemplate the adult society they are about to enter. They consider the occupations and values that their society offers and the kind of world they wish for. Such concerns have occurred over numerous generations, but this time the prospect of a safe future is in serious doubt.
It isn’t yet clear whether young people can successfully combat climate change. Erikson’s writings suggest that adults — especially those in the middle adult years — must act as well. Although he completed his works before the issue of global warming became prominent, he emphasized adults’ responsibility to protect younger generations’ opportunities for healthy development.
According to The Lancet survey I mentioned, most young people believe that political leaders have shirked this responsibility. I agree. In recent election campaigns, for example, candidates have spent little time talking about the threats of global warming. The media, too, has largely avoided the topic. Television news shows talk about a variety of issues, from the price of groceries to President Trump’s fondness for foreign autocrats, but global warming rarely comes up.
In this situation, we, ordinary adult citizens, need to step up, much as Greta’s parents did. We can start small. For example, we might not be able to afford an electric car, but perhaps we can walk or bicycle, instead of driving, to some stores and friends’ houses. Doing so will lower our vehicles’ greenhouse emissions.
I strongly urge people to protect older trees. They have absorbed and stored considerable carbon dioxide, keeping it out of the atmosphere. If we allow them to remain and decompose, the carbon will go into the soil and enrich it. But if we cut them down, the carbon will be released into the air. Then, instead of doing our part to prevent disaster, we will contribute to it. I hope people will preserve older trees in their yards and will lobby their town governments to do the same.
I realize that the number of trees in local communities is tiny compared to that in the world’s forests. For this reason, local actions may seem futile. But ordinary citizens also can attend to the source of the food they purchase. Beef often comes from ranches that destroy forests to make room for cattle and the crops that feed them. The ranches also produce climate-warming methane gas. I hope shoppers will reduce or eliminate their purchase of beef and get their friends to do the same. Who knows? Shoppers might start a movement.
Greta Thunberg gained health and vitality when her parents listened to her and took action. By following their example, other adults can help young people and the planet.