On 20 August 2018 , Thunberg , who had just started ninth grade , decided to not attend school until the 2018 Swedish general election on 9 September after the heat waves and wildfires during Sweden 's hottest summer in 262 years . Her demands were that the Swedish government reduce carbon emissions in accordance with the Paris Agreement , and she protested by sitting outside the Riksdag every day for three weeks during school hours with the sign '' Skolstrejk för klimatet '' ( school strike for the climate ) . She also handed out leaflets that stated : " I am doing this because you adults are shitting on my future . " According to Ingmar Rentzhog , founder of a Swedish climate-focused social media company , '' We Do n't Have Time '' ( WDHT ) , her strike began attracting public attention after he turned up with a freelance photographer and then posted Thunberg 's photograph on his Facebook page and Instagram account . He also made a video in English that he posted on the company 's YouTube channel that had almost 88,000 views
wildfires
2018 Sweden wildfires
Greta Thunberg