Greta Thunberg Is Named TIME’s Person of the Year for 2019

TIME has just named teen climate crusader Greta Thunberg its 2019 Person of the Year. “Thunberg is not a leader of any political party or advocacy group. She is neither the first to sound the alarm about the climate crisis nor the most qualified to fix it,” the magazine writes about the 16-year-old Swedish activist. “She’s not a billionaire or a princess, a pop star or even an adult. She is an ordinary teenage girl who, in summoning the courage to speak truth to power, became the icon of a generation.”

TIME editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal added on Wednesday’s TODAY, “She became the biggest voice on the biggest issue facing the planet this year.”

Thunberg is also the youngest person to ever receive the honor.