Greta Thunberg is one impressive 16-year-old. The Swedish environmental activist is on a climate change mission and she’s not about to sell out for 500,000 Swedish krona (about AUD$75,000).
The Nordic Council awarded Greta their 2019 Environmental Award, but Greta declined to accept the prize. In fact, she gave the Nordic Council a good blasting instead.
“I have received the Nordic Council’s environmental award 2019. I have decided to decline this prize,” Greta posted on Instagram.
“The climate movement does not need any more awards. What we need is for our politicians and the people in power to start to listen to the current, best available science,” she said.
While she thanked the Nordic Council for the “huge honour” and acknowledged that “The Nordic countries have a great reputation around the world when it comes to climate and environmental issues”, she noted that their actual emissions and ecological footprints per capita is “a whole other story”.
“In Sweden we live as if we had about 4 planets.”
Greta says the gap between what the science says is needed to limit global warming and the politics that run the Nordic countries is gigantic.
“We belong to the countries that have the possibility to do the most. And yet our countries still basically do nothing. So until you start to act in accordance with what the science says is needed to limit the global temperature rise below 1,5 degrees or even 2 degrees celsius, I – and Fridays For Future in Sweden – choose not to accept the Nordic Councils environmental award nor the prize money of 500 000 Swedish kronor.”
Greta’s followers applauded her for her integrity, with one follower saying, “We need more heroes like you. Thank you for saying what needs to be heard, and for pleading for a actions rather than accolades.”
Another follower said, “Walkin the walk and talkin the talk”.
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