Greta Thunberg, a 16 year old Swedish student and environmental activist has been nominated for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts in climate activism and fighting global warming. She has been the encouragement for hundreds of youth-led protests around the world.
Greta first started her movement back in August when she organized a school protest in front of the Swedish parliament building.
In September 2018, Thunberg pledged to stand outside of Swedish Parliament every Friday until they created an agreement to keep temperature rise below two degrees Celsius.
Thunberg’s Nobel Prize nomination comes on the eve of her biggest strike to date. On Friday, her #FridaysforFuture strike will see school students across the globe parading for climate alteration efforts in 1,659 places across 105 countries.
‘We have proposed Greta Thunberg because if we do nothing to halt climate change, it will be the cause of wars, conflict and refugees,’ said Norwegian parliament representative, Freddy Andre Ovstegard. “Greta Thunberg has launched a mass movement which I see as a major contribution to peace,’ he added.
If she wins the prize in her grouping, she will be the youngest person to receive a Nobel Prize. The youngest person that has earned this honour is women’s rights and education activist MalalaYousafzai, who won the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize at age 17 for confronting the Taliban by demanding women’s education in her native Pakistan.
The Nobel Prize winners will be officially announced in October 2019 after the Nobel Committee conducts a majority vote. The award ceremony for the Nobel Prize recipients will take place on December 10 in Oslo, Norway.
