Climate Activist Greta Thunberg Is Just Like Any Other Teen When She's Not Saving the Planet

Greta Thunberg is just like any other teen when she’s not saving the planet. “I have many, many hobbies, and interests,” she tells PEOPLE. “But I have had to put them aside for now.” Greta Thunberg and her family.Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Since August, she has been on sabbatical from school, traveling the world to raise awareness about the urgent need to take action against climate change. While she’s traveling, she says, “I read and I go for walks.

Climate Activist Greta Thunberg Is This Year's TIME Person of the Year

Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old climate activist who became a household name this year, has been named the 2019TIMEPerson of the Year. “Her rise and influence has been really extraordinary,” Felsenthal said on the morning show. “She was a solo protester with a hand-painted sign 14 months ago. She’s now led millions of people around the world, 150 countries, to act on behalf of the planet.” Headded,“She became the biggest voice on the biggest issue facing the planet this year.

Climate Activist Greta Thunberg's Mom Is a Pop Star — Watch Her Sing!

Sixteen-year-old Greta Thunberg has become one of the most high-profile environmentalists in history, amassing a large following on her quest to address climate change. But Thunberg isn’t the only star in her family. Her mother Malena Ernman has a claim to fame of her own: she’s a Swedish opera singer. And for Thunberg, having a celebrity for a mom only prepared her for her time in the spotlight. “That’s one of the pros of having a famous mother,” Thunberg toldThe New York Timesof her mom in February.

Climate Activist Greta Thunberg: From Overcoming Depression to Eclipsing Family Fame as a Teen

Climate change activistGreta Thunbergwasn’t always the most famous teenager on the planet — in fact, she wasn’t even the most famous member of her family. Long before the Swedish 17-year-old graced the cover ofTimemagazine,caught the attentionof President Donald Trump, and set off a global movement all in the name of saving the planet, Thunberg was best known as the daughter of a Swedish opera singer and actor; a shy, quiet young woman whoseAsperger’s, OCD, and select mutism made it difficult to fit in.

Climate Activists Toss Mashed Potatoes on Painting by French Impressionist Claude Monet in Germany

An “immediate conservation investigation” found that the famed painting, which Monet crafted in 1890, sustained no damage from the stunt, given that it is placed behind alayer of protective glass, the museum said on Twitter. HANDOUT/LAST GENERATION/AFP via Getty Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.