‘TELLS YOU SHE KNOWS NOTHING’: Greta photo that outraged her critics

Greta Thunberg’s trolls are clutching at straws to discredit her. 

The 16-year-old climate change activist has long been a target for criticism, but it’s never been more pronounced than it is after a week that gave her a massive boost.

Right-wing commentators have gone as far as to share a month-old photo of her on a boat — which had a single plastic water bottle behind her — as apparent proof of her hypocrisy:
 

In a similar vein, critics seized on a photo of the activist having lunch while riding a train, noting she used plastic containers and had processed foods.

“Oh she looks so frightened about the immediate climate catastrophe. As she sits there on a train, surrounded by plastic containers and processed foods. A picture paints a thousands words. This tells you she knows nothing about what she speaks of,” the caption read.
 

Many social media users have responded, pointing out that a lone plastic water bottle does not negate the argument that climate change is real, and a pre-packaged meal doesn’t negate the work she’s done to publicise the issue. Also, plastic pollution and climate change are completely separate environment issues.

But what’s also been observed across the media is the conservative right’s failure to silence the movement.

If anything, her voice has only grown louder and stronger, with over 500,000 new Twitter followers gained this past week alone.

THE RISE OF GRETA THUNBERG

In the space of a year, Greta Thunberg has gone from a lone protester to speaking at Davos, the European Union, the US Congress and this week the United Nations.

But it’s over the last week that her profile was given its biggest boost yet following a fiery address to world leaders at the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York.

In her impassioned speech, the 16-year-old told the world’s leaders they had “stolen my dreams and my childhood”.

“How dare you,” she said. “People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing.

“This is all wrong. I shouldn’t be up here. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. Yet you all come to us for hope. How dare you!”

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