TEENAGE Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has been named Time’s youngest Person of the Year.

The 16-year-old has become the face of the youth climate movement, drawing large crowds with her appearances at protests and conferences over the past year and a half.

Some have welcomed her activism, including her speeches challenging world leaders to do more to stop global warming, but others have criticised her sometimes combative tone.

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The magazine praised Thunberg for “sounding the alarm” about climate change with “a voice that transcends backgrounds and borders” and for showing what it “might look like when a new generation leads”.

Greta was in Madrid yesterday, where she addressed negotiators at the UN’s COP25 climate talks. She said she was “a bit surprised” by the award and dedicated it to all young activists.