TIME magazine named Greta Thunberg its 2019 Person of the Year on Wednesday.
The accolade, given annually since 1927, goes to the person or persons who “most influenced the news and the world” during the past year.
On a shortlist of finalists were also US President Donald Trump, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, the anonymous whistleblower whose complaint sparked the impeachment in inquiry and those protesting the Chinese government in Hong Kong.
Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish activist who spoke before the United Nations Climate Action Summit this year, has become a symbol for youth across the world protesting against climate change.
“We can’t just continue living as if there was no tomorrow, because there is a tomorrow,” she says, tugging on the sleeve of her blue sweatshirt. “That is all we are saying.”
