Mural of climate activist Greta Thunberg goes up in San Francisco

San Francisco – The newest addition to the San Francisco skyline is a work of art: a mural depicting activist Greta Thunberg, designed to draw attention to climate change, CBS SF Bay Area reports.

Thunberg is the 16-year-old who has inspired young people all over the world to take to the streets and let older people know they want climate change to be taken seriously.

Andres "Cobre" Petreselli, an internationally renowned artist, is painting the Swedish teen with big blue eyes and a Mona Lisa smile. 

"What I want from people is to realize that we have to do something for the world. Otherwise, this is the beginning of our extinction," he said.

Cobre said his paintings often provoke strong reactions. He painted a Robin Williams mural on Market Street that was recently demolished to make way for high-rise apartments. But this work of art, he said, is different.

"This one is a little bit more political in some kind of way because I want them to think about it ... to create a conversation with friends and everything: 'Have you seen the mural of Greta?' Say, 'What is that about? About climate change.'"

The mural is a work in progress, as Cobre is spending his days hoisted high up on a platform about 10 stories above Mason street, on the side of the Native Sons building near Union Square.

"You hit people with public art and it hits them in the heart," said Paul Scott, executive director of One Atmosphere, who said he hopes people will be inspired not just to gawk at the stunning mural, but to act.

"She's a child," Scott said. "At the end of the day it's a child that's telling us what to do."

"I hope that people are touched by this image, and that they understand the innocence and the strength and the power of her message," he added.

The mural is expected to be completed by early next week. Scott said he is hoping a band will come forward and put on a concert for the unveiling.