Teen Climate activist Greta Thunberg wins Sweden’s ‘alternative Nobel Prize’

Swedish teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg, who was recently in news for her impassioned speech at United Nations’ Climate Summit, was named for the 2019 Right Livelihood Award, “for inspiring and amplifying political demands for urgent climate action reflecting scientific facts.” She is one of the four winners for the Sweden’s alternative Nobel Prize. Thunberg has also been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Swedish and Norwegian lawmakers.

She shares this year’s award with Davi Kopenawa, a Brazilian indigenous leader, who has fought to protect the Amazon rainforest, Guo Jianmei, a Chinese women’s rights lawyer and Aminatou Haidar, a Western Sahara human rights defender. The award comes with a cash award of 1 million Swedish crowns ($103,000).

Thunberg started solitary weekly protests outside Swedish parliament a year ago. Inspired by her, millions of young people poured onto streets around the world last Friday to demand governments attending the summit take emergency action. On Friday, millions of young people took to the streets to demand that leaders attending the summit take emergency action on the issue.