Nobel nom for climate striker Greta Thunberg

The young Swedish activist has sparked a global movement with her school strikes

Photo: Leonhard Lenz / Wikmedia Commons
A sign at a Berlin climate protest reads “Follow Greta! Strike for climate / #FridaysForFuture.”

The Local

Greta Thunberg, the Swedish teenager whose school strike for climate has inspired protests around the world, has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, which is awarded in Norway.

“We have proposed Greta Thunberg, because if we do nothing to halt climate change it will be the cause of wars, conflict, and refugees,” Norwegian lawmaker Freddy Andre Øvstegård told Agence France-Presse.

“Greta Thunberg has launched a mass movement, which I see as a major contribution to peace,” he added.

Six months ago, no one knew who Thunberg was when, as a 15-year-old, she camped outside Sweden’s parliament next to a hand-written sign: “SKOLSTREJK FÖR KLIMATET” (school strike for the climate).

Since then, she has gone global, striking a chord with younger people disillusioned by the slow progress of the adult world in halting climate change.

“Honoured and very grateful for this nomination,” Thunberg, now 16, tweeted on March 14.

On Friday, March 15, thousands of students in over 100 countries walked out of their schools to demonstrate in in what activists say could be a milestone moment in a grassroots campaign to push world leaders into doing more.

“We are only seeing the beginning,” Thunberg tweeted recently. “I think that change is on the horizon, and the people will stand up for their future.”

This article was originally published on The Local.

This article originally appeared in the March 22, 2019, issue of The Norwegian American. To subscribe, visit SUBSCRIBE or call us at (206) 784-4617.