Please Meet Greta Thunberg the Beetle, Not to Be Confused With Greta Thunberg the Person

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Please Meet Greta Thunberg the Beetle, Not to Be Confused With Greta Thunberg the Person
Image: (via Getty)

Greta Thunberg has not yet managed to convince global leaders that the impending collapse of our planetary ecosystem takes precedence over immediate economic interests. But she has achieved a longtime goal of mine: she got a bug named after her. Can the bug survive an eco-pocalypse? We’ll soon (very soon, all too soon) find out!

According to the Guardian, Thunberg’s namesake is a tiny species of beetle first found in Kenya in 1965. Scientists at London’s Natural History Museum have decided to bestow upon this little creature the name Nelloptodes gretae, specifically in honor of Thunberg.

“I chose this name as I am immensely impressed with the work of this young campaigner and wanted to acknowledge her outstanding contribution in raising awareness of environmental issues,” Dr. Michael Darby, a researcher at the Natural History Museum, told the Guardian.

Gretae the beetle is less than one millimeter long and has no wings or eyes, the latter of which could serve as a metaphor for the aforementioned global leaders who refuse to accept the need for immediate climate action as we on Earth undergo a mass extinction event. Or maybe that’s just me! What do I know! I’m just another person on this planet who needs breathable air and drinkable water!

 
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