--- title: The Story Behind the Melting Ice Statue of Greta Thunberg description: The statue of the climate activist comes with its own hashtag #GretaIceberg canonical: https://time.com/5691002/greta-thunberg-statue/ author: Melissa Locker article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-10-02T16:11:35.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:47:03.595Z og:title: There’s A Melting Ice Statue of Greta Thunberg in London og:description: The statue of the climate activist comes with its own hashtag #GretaIceberg og:url: https://time.com/5691002/greta-thunberg-statue/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: There’s A Melting Ice Statue of Greta Thunberg in London twitter:description: The statue of the climate activist comes with its own hashtag #GretaIceberg twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # '#GretaIceberg.' Here's the Story Behind the Ice Statue of Greta Thunberg Swiftly Melting Today > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. 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Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ## Video: 'You Have Stolen My Dreams and My Childhood': Greta Thunberg Gives Powerful Speech at UN Climate Summit [Watch (HLS stream): 'You Have Stolen My Dreams and My Childhood': Greta Thunberg Gives Powerful Speech at UN Climate Summit](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/qIW7rKbj.m3u8) (3:56)  _Published 2019-09-23. In an emotional speech at the United Nations during the Climate Action Summit on Monday, the 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg appealed to world leaders about the grave need to stop the effects of climate change._ by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Oct 2, 2019 4:11 PM UTC by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Oct 2, 2019 4:11 PM UTC Creative team Alissa Khan-Whelan, [Chris Godfrey](https://time.com/5519974/instagram-egg-creator/), and CJ Brown came to notoriety thanks to their bid to best Kylie Jenner’s Instagram record by setting out to create the[ most liked picture](https://time.com/5501749/egg-photo-bests-kylie-jenner-instagram/) on the internet. Their [viral image of an egg](https://time.com/5501898/instagram-egg/) racked up 53 million likes, beating Jenner’s previous record. Now, they are turning their viral creativity to illustrate the climate emergency. The London-based friends have turned climate activist [Greta Thunberg](https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people-2019/5567758/greta-thunberg/) into an ice sculpture, which is swiftly thawing in London’s Trafalgar Square. The statue is designed to melt throughout the day to represent the ongoing and dramatic change in our planet’s climate and illustrate the plight of the world’s ice caps if the world and its governments and businesses don’t act quickly enough. Accompanying the sculpture is an an open letter to London Mayor Sadiq Khan, launching a [petition](https://www.change.org/p/sadiq-khan-build-statue-of-greta-thunberg-in-london-recognising-her-courage-in-halting-climate-change?recruiter=78074516&utm%5Fsource=share%5Fpetition&utm%5Fmedium=copylink&utm%5Fcampaign=share%5Fpetition) to make the sculpture of Thunberg a permanent fixture in recognition of her conservation work. The hope is that a permanent version of the sculpture would serve as a sign of the city’s commitment to [make the changes](https://time.com/5684216/greta-thunberg-un-climate-action-summit-climate-speech/) the young activist is fighting for as she travels the world [urging world leaders](https://time.com/5684216/greta-thunberg-un-climate-action-summit-climate-speech/) to do whatever is necessary to reverse [climate change](https://time.com/5669069/time-climate-change-issue/). To spread the word about the sculpture, the petition, and their mission, the statue of the climate activist comes affixed with its own hashtag #GretaIceberg. Twitter users are helping spread the hashtag and the important message. > [](https://twitter.com/RyanLaughton/status/1179352781968347136) > [](https://twitter.com/harryapostol/status/1179319318217216001) > [](https://twitter.com/becky%5Farmes/status/1179318827433234432) > [](https://twitter.com/james%5Fgriffin97/status/1179367805617147904) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5691002/greta-thunberg-statue/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5691002/greta-thunberg-statue/"},"headline":"'#GretaIceberg.' 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