Greta Thunberg
Greta Thunberg

If a career in environmental activism doesn't pan out, 16-year-old Greta Thunberg might take a crack at PR. She knows spin or greenwashing when she sees it.

Speaking at the United Nations climate summit in Madrid on Dec. 11, Thunberg ripped Big Business, global banks and political leaders for "misleading" the world about the climate crisis and finding "clever ways" to dodge responsibility, including "outsourcing" pollution to developing nations.

She blasted movers & shakers for using high-profile platforms, such as the UN conference, as a smokescreen to cover up their inaction on climate change.

"The real danger is when politicians and CEOs are making it look like real action is happening, when in fact almost nothing is being done, apart from clever accounting and creative PR," she said.

Thunberg addressed the UN session on the same day that Time announced her selection as its "person of the year."

The magazine noted: "She has addressed heads of state at the U.N., met with the pope, sparred with the president of the United States and inspired 4 million people to join the global climate strike."

O'Dwyer's readers have mixed feelings about Time's selection of Thunberg for its annual honor.

Half of them told the O'Dwyer's poll that Time made a good choice in picking Thunberg. Thirty-eight percent feel her selection was more of a marketing move designed to appeal to a younger audience, while 12 percent believe the magazine made a poor choice.

There's no plan to query readers about Forbes' decision to put Thunberg in the 100th spot on its roster of the world's 100 most powerful women of 2019.

German chancellor Angela Merkel, European central bank chief Christine Lagarde and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi topped the Forbes list.