After capturing the
world’s attention at the
United Nations in New
York City last Septem-
ber, the activist, now 17,
spoke in December at
the UN’s climate change
conference in Madrid.
Her main theme: sci-
ence. “I’ve given many
speeches and learned
that when you talk in
public, you should startwith something per-
sonal or emotional to
get everyone’s atten-
tion,” she said. “But
today I will not do that
because then those
phrases are all that
people focus on. They
don’t remember the
facts, the very reason
why I say those things
in the first place.”
TOM JAMIESONGRETA THUNBERG
74 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC