Greta Thunberg Declines Environmental Award

Teen climate change activist Greta Thunberg, 16, was awarded the 2019 Nordic Council Environment Prize, but she refused to accept it, in protest at Scandinavian governments’ lack of action on climate change.

 Thunberg said on Instagram on Tuesday that, “I want to thank the Nordic Council for this award. It is a huge honour. But the climate movement does not need any more awards”.
 She called on Nordic countries to take more climate action, saying “What we need is for our politicians and the people in power start to listen to the current, best available science.”
While thanking the Nordic Council for the “huge honour”, she also criticised Nordic countries for not living up to their “great reputation” on climate issues.
 The young climate activist, who has rallied millions to her “Fridays for Future” movement, was honoured 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 organisation’s 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 euro), the TT news agency reported.
Two representatives for Ms. Thunberg said, “at the ceremony that the Scandinavian nations are among those who could do the most for the climate but basically do nothing”.
>Juthy Saha