Sixteen-year-old Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg was just nominated for an honor that most high school kids can’t even imagine winning—the Nobel Peace Prize. The awesomely inspirational teen most recently organized a mass youth protest across 100 countries, demanding action on climate change now.
If Thunberg is any indication of what Gen Z feels, her efforts to mobilize her peers are commanding some pretty important attention, namely from the Nobel Prize committee.
Thunberg’s recently-announced nomination comes as no surprise to anyone who has followed her brief, but bright, activist career. Starting the #FridaysForFuture movement, Thunberg is credited with inspiring regular walkouts for climate change activism among school children across the globe.
The teen activist told CBS News, “More people are starting to become aware of the situation and that we are facing a crisis.” She also added, “And I think it is amazing to see that hundreds of thousands of children from all around the world are realizing this and are making their voices heard. Why should we go and study for a future that may not exist anymore?”
Socialist MP Freddy André Ovstegard and two other Norwegian lawmakers nominated the 16-year-old for the honor. Ovstegard told AFP News Agency, “We have proposed Greta Thunberg because if we do nothing to halt climate change, it will be the cause of wars, conflict, and refugees.” The lawmaker also said, “Greta Thunberg has launched a mass movement which I see as a major contribution to peace.”
There are 301 nominated candidates for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, including 223 individuals and 78 organizations. The Nobel Committee will announce who they have decided to honor this October. If Thunberg wins in October, she’ll be the youngest Nobel Peace Prizer winner to date, just a year younger than children’s education activist Malala Yousafzai was when she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.
—Erica Loop
Featured photo: Min An via Pexels
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