"I will still do a lot, but I will no longer be so visible in the media," Thunberg told the German magazine Brigitte Be Green.

"It is time to pass the microphone," she said, adding that the people most affected by the climate emergency should be listened to more, dpa reports.

In the debate on nuclear power, Thunberg reiterated her belief that nuclear power plants were preferable to coal.

"My personal opinion - and I'm not speaking for Fridays For Future here - is that it's a mistake to stop them when coal is the alternative," the 19-year-old said.