Climate movement needs action, says Greta in declining award

CLIMATE ACTIVIST GRETA THUNBERG

STOCKHOLM • Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has refused to accept an environmental award, saying the climate movement needed people in power to start to listen to science and not awards.

The teenage climate activist, who has rallied millions to her Fridays for Future movement, was honoured at a Stockholm ceremony on Tuesday held by the Nordic Council, a regional body for inter-parliamentary cooperation.

Greta, 16, 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 (S$71,000), the TT news agency reported.

She addressed the decision in a post on Instagram from the United States.

"The climate movement does not need any more awards," she wrote.

"What we need is for our politicians and the people in power to 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.

Greta rose to prominence after she started spending her Fridays outside Sweden's Parliament in August last year, holding a sign reading "School strike for climate".

Since then, she has addressed national Parliaments and United Nations climate meetings.

She recently sailed across the Atlantic to attend rallies in the US and speak at the UN Secretary-General's Climate Summit last month, where she scolded world leaders for their inaction.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 31, 2019, with the headline Climate movement needs action, says Greta in declining award. Subscribe