4.04: Article: Cassandra of Climate Change: Greta Thunberg’s Journey

Photo by Sam Saunders on Flickr, CC-BY-SA

Exercise \(\PageIndex{1}\): Before You Read

Discuss the following questions with a classmate.

1. What is climate change?
2. What causes climate change?
3. In what ways are people feeling the effects of climate change right now?
4. Thinking about the vocabulary you learned at the end of the previous reading, what do you think it means to be a “Cassandra” of climate change?
5. What other important causes and activists do you know of?
6. Skim the next reading. What do you think is the author’s purpose of the text: to inform, entertain, or to persuade? How will that affect the way you take notes on the reading?

Exercise \(\PageIndex{2}\): Vocabulary in Context

Find or guess the meaning of the words in parentheses ().

1. She shot to fame and was quickly embraced by the (establishment). In 2019, she was invited to the European Union Parliament and received a standing ovation from the politicians and diplomats in attendance.
2. They praised her for "sounding the alarm about humanity's predatory relationship with the only home we have," "bringing to a (fragmented) world a voice that (transcends) backgrounds and borders," and for "showing us all what it might look like when a new generation leads."
3. The dramatic drop in corporate media interest closely matches Thunberg's increasingly radical (stances). In 2022, she identified capitalism as a prime cause of climate collapse.
4. At the same public event, she (dismissed) the United Nations Climate Change Conferences as a waste of time.
5. The manner in which the ruling class has collectively dumped Thunberg is far from an (isolated) incident. Elite liberal forces have historically attempted to weaken radical challenges to (the status quo).
6. The data was (compiled) by searching for the term "Greta Thunberg" in the New York Times archive and Dow Jones Factiva news database, a tool that records the content from more than 32,000 U.S. and international media outlets.
7. It is a system defined by colonialism, imperialism, oppression, and genocide by the so-called global North to (accumulate) wealth that still shapes our current world order.

Cassandra of Climate Change: Greta Thunberg’s Journey

Adapted from the article "From Media Darling to Persona Non Grata: Greta Thunberg’s Journey,"  by Alan Macleod, CC-BY with the help of Claude AI

Once the favored child of the establishment, Greta Thunberg has been dropped by the global elite. A MintPress News study finds that coverage of Thunberg in The New York Times and Washington Post has fallen from hundreds of articles per year to barely a handful. This happened precisely as she widened her focus from the environment to the capitalist system that is causing climate breakdown.

Not Your Puppet 

Greta Thunberg was once a media darling. Organizing a climate strike at her local school when she was just fifteen, she shot to fame and was quickly embraced by the establishment. In 2019, she was invited to the European Union Parliament and received a standing ovation from the politicians and diplomats in attendance.

She also spoke in front of the British government. Even as she told them that they were a pack of "liars" responsible for "one of the greatest failures of humankind," the young Swede was applauded. Then Environmental Secretary Michael Gove admitted being moved by her words. He stated, "When I listened to you, I felt great admiration, but also responsibility and guilt. I am of your parents' generation, and I recognize that we haven't done nearly enough to address climate change and the broader environmental crisis that we helped to create."

Her message of the urgent need to address the coming climate crisis was one that was acceptable to authorities. They attempted to control her with access and awards. In 2019, despite being only 16 years old, she won the Swedish Woman of the Year award. Forbes magazine named her as one of the world's 100 most powerful women. Time magazine even awarded her its prestigious Person of the Year. They praised her for "sounding the alarm about humanity's predatory relationship with the only home we have," "bringing to a fragmented world a voice that transcends backgrounds and borders," and for "showing us all what it might look like when a new generation leads."

While conservatives were hostile to her from the start, more liberal institutions showered her with attention and praise. The New York Times, for example, described her as "a modern-day Cassandra for the age of climate change." The newspaper noted that her work had "inspired huge children's demonstrations" across the planet.

In Greek mythology, Cassandra was cursed to see the future accurately but never be believed. Like Cassandra, Thunberg warned about the coming climate disaster with clear evidence and urgent messages. Yet despite the praise and attention, authorities continued to ignore her warnings and failed to take real action to stop climate change.

Yet Thunberg refused to be turned into a mascot for the elites, and their attempt to control her failed. As a result, coverage of her in elite media outlets has fallen to almost nothing, even as she continues to fight for global causes.

This phenomenon can be seen by studying the coverage of Thunberg in The New York Times and The Washington Post. Shooting to public attention in 2018, Thunberg and her activities were, at first, given copious coverage in both newspapers. This amounted to hundreds of articles per year in each outlet. Yet this has fallen to virtually nothing by 2025, with only three Times and two Post articles even mentioning Thunberg. Only one in each outlet covered her in any detail beyond a passing reference.

The data was compiled by searching for the term "Greta Thunberg" in the New York Times archive and Dow Jones Factiva news database, a tool that records the content from more than 32,000 U.S. and international media outlets.

Dr. Jill Stein, a three-time presidential candidate for the United States Green Party, was not surprised by the findings. "It comes with the territory when you go from inside the box to outside the box, and it is a real sign of integrity when the media stops covering you," she told MintPress. "Greta has been canceled, like many of the best activists I know of."

Challenging the System

The dramatic drop in corporate media interest closely matches Thunberg's increasingly radical stances. In 2022, she identified capitalism as a prime cause of climate collapse. She explained the need for a comprehensive global revolution, stating that: "What we refer to as 'normal' is an extreme system built on the exploitation of people and the planet. It is a system defined by colonialism, imperialism, oppression, and genocide by the so-called global North to accumulate wealth that still shapes our current world order."

At the same public event, she dismissed the United Nations Climate Change Conferences as a waste of time. She said they were merely an opportunity for "people in power… to [use] greenwashing, lying and cheating."

She has also gone out of her way to support workers' struggles against their bosses. Last year, she visited the GKN auto parts factory in Florence, Italy, a site that striking workers have occupied. "Climate justice = workers' rights," she explained, noting that, "[E]very necessity to choose between the struggle for labour and the struggle for climate justice is abolished. The territory defends the factory, the factory defends the territory. The fight to get to the end of the month is the same fight against the end of the world."

She has spoken out against the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara, in support of striking Indian farmers, and against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. She has also expressed solidarity with the Palestinian people, which has earned her criticism from some of the same outlets that previously celebrated her.

For Stein, Thunberg's media rejection cannot simply be explained by the idea that the activities of a 22-year-old organizer are less newsworthy than those of a teenager. Rather, it was her public stances against capitalism and imperialism that angered them.

"Each of those [stances] were a step-down in the eyes of mainstream media and the wealthy elite they defend," she said. "You could see the pushback against her starting when she began to speak about climate, social and economic justice."

Thunberg sees the fight for a greener world as inseparable from the struggle for political and economic freedom. "For me, there is no way of distinguishing the two," she said, adding: "We cannot have climate justice without social justice. The reason why I am a climate activist is not because I want to protect trees. I'm a climate activist because I care about human and planetary well-being, and those are extremely interlinked."

A Familiar Pattern

The manner in which the ruling class has collectively dumped Thunberg is far from an isolated incident. Elite liberal forces have historically attempted to weaken radical challenges to the status quo. Examples include Black Lives Matter, the LGBT liberation movement, and the Occupy Wall Street protests. The establishment offers their leaders access and privileges. If this strategy fails, figures and movements are shunned, rejected, or attacked. While Martin Luther King focused his attention on racist Southern sheriffs, he was treated with respect. But after his anti-war "Beyond Vietnam" speech, he spoke out more on the "triple evils of racism, extreme materialism and militarism." After that, he became public enemy number one, and was ignored, denounced, and, ultimately, assassinated.

Thunberg shows no sign of backing down. "We are standing up for justice, sustainability, liberation for everyone. There can be no climate justice without social justice," she said. That is precisely the kind of talk that got her ejected from elite polite society in the first place.

CEFR Level: High B2

Exercise \(\PageIndex{3}\): Comprehension Questions

Answer the following questions according to the article.

1. How did major newspapers' coverage of Greta Thunberg change between 2018 and 2025?
2. Why is Greta Thunberg considered a "Cassandra of climate change?"
3. According to Thunberg, what is the relationship between climate justice and social justice? Use examples from the text.
4. What happened when Thunberg spoke to the British government in 2019? How did the politicians react to her message?
5. Why does Thunberg believe the United Nations Climate Change Conferences are not effective? What does she think happens at these conferences?
6. Who is another example of a Cassandra in this article?

Exercise \(\PageIndex{4}\): Critical Thinking Questions

Answer the following questions. Compare your answers with a partner.

1. Thunberg argues that "we cannot have climate justice without social justice." Do you agree or disagree with this idea? Explain your reasoning with examples.
2. Why do you think media coverage changes when activists speak about topics beyond their original focus? Is this fair? What are the possible benefits and drawbacks of activists expanding their message?
3. Do you know of other activists who might be like "Cassandra"?