Greta Thunberg

The emotions of teenage girls have long been the target of ridicule. Sixteen-year-old Greta Thunberg's anger, however, made her Time Person of the Year.

Greta's fury led her to act. Alone at first, she sat in front of the Swedish Parliament with a sign reading "School Strike for Climate." Her simple activism caught the attention of others and set off an explosion of youth protests for action against climate change. Millions participated. At the U.N. Climate Action Summit, Greta Thunberg made her anger crystal clear: those in power are destroying the planet for the sake of money. It's the older generation that's destroying the planet with harmful, irresponsible policies, and the younger generation is going to have to face the consequences.

Not everyone can spend as much time and energy protesting as Greta and others. We can, however, act through our votes. Voting in the 2020 elections for candidates who will fight for climate change is essential. We as individuals can only do so much to enact change. Real change comes about through policies and regulations, and putting the right people in power will do a lot of good. Please exercise your rights, read up on candidates, and vote!

Read more about Greta and the wave of youth protests here.