Greta Thunberg declines her latest environmental prize

Greta Thunberg, the teen climate activist whose school strikes have inspired millions of others around the world, has declined her latest environmental prize, the Nordic Council’s Environmental Award, calling it a “huge honour” but ultimately not accepting the $52,000 prize money.

Previously, Thunberg has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, and won the 2019 Right Livelihood Award. In 2018, she declined the Children’s Climate Prize because finalists had to fly to Stockholm in order to attend the ceremony, a move that Thunberg felt would only contribute to global warming. Recently, Thunberg sailed across the Atlantic on a zero-emissions sailboat in order to avoid air travel before delivering her now iconic speech at the U.N. Climate Action Summit.

Thunberg declined acceptance of her latest award due in part to her obligations at the Youth Climate Strike in Los Angeles, where unprecedented wildfires are currently ravaging the region. Two fellow climate activists were sent as stand-ins for Thunberg.

In an Instagram post explaining the reasoning behind her decision, Thunberg said, “The climate movement does not need any more awards. What we need is for our politicians and the people in power start to listen to the current, best available science.”

Her decision to decline was also shaped by what she perceives as harmful climate inaction specific to the Nordic countries.

“The Nordic countries have a great reputation around the world when it comes to climate and environmental issues. There is no lack of bragging about this. There is no lack of beautiful words,” Thunberg said in her post. “But when it comes to our actual emissions and our ecological footprints per capita - if we include our consumption, our imports as well as aviation and shipping - then it’s a whole other story.”

“We belong to the countries that have the possibility to do the most,” Thunberg continued. “And yet our countries still do basically nothing.”