Luisa Neubauer (born 21 April 1996) is a German climate activist, politician and author. She is one of the main organizers of the school strike for climate movement in Germany, commonly known as Fridays for Future. She advocates a climate policy that meets and goes beyond the Paris Agreement and supports de-growth. Neubauer is a member of Alliance 90/The Greens and its youth organization, the Green Youth.
Early life and activism
Neubauer was born in Hamburg and grew up in the Iserbrook district. She studied geography at the University of Göttingen and completed a Bachelor of Science in 2020. Before her climate work became prominent, she was a youth ambassador for the non-governmental organization ONE from 2016 and was active in several other campaigns, including one that pressed the University of Göttingen to stop investing in coal, oil and gas industries.
Fridays for Future
Neubauer helped organize the first school climate strike in December 2018, which was linked to the hashtag #FridaysForFuture. By early 2019 she was widely regarded as the leading German face of the movement. She has said the strikes matter mainly for the structures and educational work built around them, and she has distanced herself from comparisons with Greta Thunberg. In 2020 she turned down a seat on the supervisory board of Siemens Energy, saying it would conflict with her role as an independent critic.
Views on the Gaza war
After the Gaza war began in October 2023, Neubauer faced conflicting positions within Fridays for Future and the wider climate movement. She publicly distanced the German chapter from statements by the international board about Israeli military action, and said the German group condemned Hamas terrorism. Reporting by Der Spiegel described the movement as facing a possible schism.