Greta Thunberg Speech at UN Climate Action Summit

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Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Earth and Space Sciences, Civics

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Provided by Greta Thunberg

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What it is

In this speech from Greta Thunberg to the United Nations Climate Action Summit in 2019, Thunberg discusses the remaining carbon budget to avoid dangerous environmental consequences and focuses the responsibility to act on older generations currently in positions of power.
Thunberg highlights that the UN plan only provides a 50 percent chance of avoiding catastrophic ecological conditions and that tipping points and feedback loops may reduce that chance even further.

Teaching tips

Positives

Greta Thunberg's speech is clear, easy to understand, extremely powerful, and is made even more impactful by the fact that she was only 16 years old when she gave this speech.
This passionate speech instills a sense of urgency to take action.

Prerequisites

There may be an ad before the video.
Students should be familiar with what 1.5 degrees Celsius means regarding climate change.

Differentiation & Implementation

This is a great video to show in a social studies or history class when talking about activism.
Students can compare the tone and emotion Greta uses in her speech to other speeches given on the same day at the UN Climate Summit.
Writing or language arts classes can have students make their own speeches about climate change or another topic they are passionate about after watching this video.
Some related resources are this activity Climate Strike and Art Activism - Create Your Story, this lesson plan Greta Meets Malala: How Different Media Forms Present the News, and this activity Personal Narrative: Chiamaka Obilo.

From the scientist review

This resource is the 4-minute speech that Greta Thunberg gave to the General Assembly of the United Nations in 2019. Everything Greta says about the dangers of climate change and the changes we are seeing across the globe are all accurate. This resource is recommended for teaching.

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At a glance

Grades: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, Civics
Format: YouTube Video
Language: English
Location: Earth
Provider: Greta Thunberg
Authors: Greta Thunberg
Published: April 27, 2021
Last updated: July 16, 2026
: Reviewed by our climate scientists How we review

Standards alignment · D2.Civ.1.6-8 + 5 more

Core

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards

D2.Civ.1.6-8Distinguish the powers and responsibilities of citizens, political parties, interest groups, and the media in a variety of governmental and nongovernmental contexts.

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

MS-ESS3-5.Ask questions to clarify evidence of the factors that have caused the rise in global temperatures over the past century.
MS-ESS3-C.1.Human activities have significantly altered the biosphere, sometimes damaging or destroying natural habitats and causing the extinction of other species. But changes to Earth’s environments can have different impacts (negative and positive) for different living things. (MS-ESS3-3)

Michigan Climate Education Hub

Michigan K-12 ELA Standards

SL.7.2.Analyze the main ideas and supporting details presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how the ideas clarify a topic, text, or issue under study.
SL.9-10.3.Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, identifying any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence.

Michigan K-12 Standards Social Studies

9-12P4.2 Assess options for individual and collective action to advance views on matters of public policy and to address local, regional, or global problems.

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