Greta Thunberg. Image: Getty Images North America/Minas Panagiotakis via AFP
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg on Tuesday refused to accept an environmental award, saying the climate movement needed people in power to start to 鈥渓isten鈥� to 鈥渟cience鈥� and not awards.
The young climate activist, who has rallied millions to her 鈥淔ridays for Future鈥� movement, was honored at a Stockholm ceremony held by the Nordic Council, a regional body for inter-parliamentary cooperation.
Thunberg had been nominated for her efforts by both Sweden and Norway and won the organization鈥檚 annual environment prize.
But after it was announced, a representative for her told the audience that she would not accept the award or the prize sum of 350,000 Danish kroner (about $52,000 or 46,800 euros), the TT news agency reported.
She addressed the decision in a post on Instagram from the United States.
鈥淭he climate movement does not need any more awards,鈥� she wrote. 鈥淲hat we need is for our politicians and the people in power start to listen to the current, best available science.鈥�
While thanking the Nordic Council for the 鈥渉uge honor,鈥� she also criticized Nordic countries for not living up to their 鈥済reat reputation鈥� on climate issues.
鈥淭here is no lack of bragging about this. There is no lack of beautiful words. But when it comes to our actual emissions and our ecological footprints per capita鈥� then it鈥檚 a whole other story,鈥� Thunberg said.
Still only 16 years old, Thunberg rose to prominence after she started spending her Fridays outside Sweden鈥檚 parliament in August 2018, holding a sign reading 鈥淪chool strike for climate.鈥� IB/JB
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