Greta Thunberg explains why she doesn't drink - and where all her income goes

02 February 2024 , 10:19

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Greta Thunberg is one of the world's most famous climate activists at the age of 21 (Image: Getty Images)

Eco-warrior Greta Thunberg is on trial following her arrest at an environmental protest in October.

District Judge John Law has thrown out a public order charge against the 21-year-old Swedish campaigner at Westminster Magistrates' Court because police attempted to impose 'unlawful' conditions during an environment protest.

Outside court after the proceedings yesterday, Greta made a statement and said: "We must remember who the real enemy is, what are we defending, who are our laws meant to protect."

Greta became famous for her impassioned speeches to world leaders in her teens and is now one of the world's best-known climate campaigners, having been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize every year since 2019. But what does her life look like away from her work? Here is everything we know.

Greta doesn't earn any money from her protests and donated all book sales to charity (Getty Images)

Greta was born in the Swedish capital Stockholm in 2003 to an opera singer mother and an actor father. She first learned about climate change at the age of eight, and three years later, she started suffering from depression. Her dad Svante said: "She stopped talking... she stopped going to school." Around the same time, she was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome.

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Greta has described her autism diagnosis as a 'superpower' and said it helps to motivate her protests. She told the BBC: "Being different is a gift. If I would've been like everyone else, I wouldn't have started this school strike." At the age of 15, Greta held the first 'School Strike for Climate' outside the Swedish parliament and thousands of young people across the world joined her Fridays For Future strikes.

She took a year out of school in 2019 to focus on activism and in 2022, she brought out The Climate Book, which heard from experts about how to combat the world's climate crisis. Greta admitted that she did not earn any money from the book, and she gives away all the profits she earns from being a climate activist to charity.

She told The Times: "The proceeds that I will make will go to charity. It would be nice to have money, but by donating… For example, if I donate it to rewilding or nature conservation, I can start a debate on that. If I donate to refugees, you can talk about why – and then you can explain." She said her only form of income at the time was the student grant, but called it 'not very sustainable'.

She has never been drunk and stays with a friend to keep her whereabouts private (Getty Images)

Greta photographed with a young man at a climate march in Milan in 2021 (Claudio Veneroni/IPA/REX/Shutterstock)

Greta also told the publication that she has never had an alcoholic drink before and would 'never go out drinking' or do anything 'stupid'. Trying to come up with a reason as to why this might be, she said: "I don't know if that's because I'm that kind of person or if it is because I don't want to be 'seen'. I guess it could be both."

The young activist explained she lives at a friend's apartment because her finances are 'not sustainable' and all addresses are public in Sweden. She said her figure in the spotlight makes it hard to socialise, whether that be friends or romantic relationships. "If I come up to them, you're more vulnerable. So you have people looking up to you, but you're also much more vulnerable," she said.

Back in 2021, Greta was captured hand-feeding chips to a young man during a Fridays for Future march in Milan. The mystery guy, who wore a white T-shirt and blue checkered hat, wrapped his arm around her as they stood in the crowds. Around the same time, she told The Guardian that she's 'best friends' with some of her fellow activists.

She explained: "We have daily contact. We don't just campaign together, we are also friends. My best friends are within the climate movement." Greta added: "Since we are spread all over the world it's hard to do that, but we have Zoom calls and movie nights online and lots of chats where we just spam each other."

Nia Dalton