Greta Thunberg wins Alternative Nobel Prize
The award was given “for inspiring and amplifying the political demands for climate emergency action reflecting scientific facts.”
Environmental activist Greta Thunberg, just 16, has been named one of four winners of the 2019 Right Livelihood Award, known as the Alternative Nobel Prize. The prize was awarded to the young woman “for inspiring and amplifying the political demands for action for climate emergency reflecting scientific facts,” said the award’s foundation cited by Reuters.
The recognition comes after Greta blamed world leaders for failing to fight climate change in an emotional speech at the climate summit in New York on Monday.
The 2019 #RightLivelihoodAward goes to…
➡️ @AminatouHaidar ??
➡️ Guo Jianmei ??
➡️ @GretaThunberg ??
➡️ Davi Kopenawa /Hutukara #Yanomami Association ??Join us to celebrate their incredible achievement! ➡️ https://t.co/j8KzVceNOF#AlternativeNobel pic.twitter.com/qykCYAFubD
— Right Livelihood (@rightlivelihood) September 25, 2019
A year ago it started small weekly protests outside the Swedish parliament and inspired by the teenager last Friday. Four million people around the world took to the street to protest and demand that their governments take action to address the climate emergency.
The prize is shared with Chinese lawyer Guo Jianmei, African human rights activist Aminatu Haidar and Davi Kopenawa, spokesman for the indigenous Yanomami in the Brazilian rainforest, which is campaigning for the preservation of the Amazon.
How do you get politicians to listen? Our 2019 #RightLivelihoodAward Laureate @GretaThunberg ?? has inspired millions of people to #UniteBehindTheScience to tackle the #ClimateCrisis. Congratulations!
Learn more ➡️ https://t.co/MTHfmDuCLK #AlternativeNobel #FridaysForFuture pic.twitter.com/2L4whSd5jL
— Right Livelihood (@rightlivelihood) September 25, 2019
According to the international jury, the leader of the Yanomami tribe in Roraima, northern Brazil, Davi Kopenawa, and the Hutukara Yanomami Association were distinguished “for their courageous determination to protect the forests and biodiversity of the Amazon, land and culture. of indigenous peoples “. Chinese lawyer Guo Jianmei has been distinguished for “pioneering and persistent work in defending women’s rights in China” and has over the years helped thousands of women gain access to justice. Finally, Sahrawi human rights defender Aminatou Haidar stood out for “a peaceful campaign” over 30 years “despite arrests and torture for the sake of justice and self-determination for the people of Western Sahara.”
The four winners will be presented with a monetary prize of SEK 1 million (around € 94,000) to support their work in their areas and not for personal use.
?️ A champion of #nonviolence
??♀️ A trailblazer for women’s rights
? An instigator of global #ClimateAction
? Indigenous guardians of the #AmazonGet to know the 2019 #RightLivelihoodAward Laureates @AminatouHaidar ?? Guo Jianmei ?? @GretaThunberg ?? Davi Kopenawa/ @Hutukara ?? pic.twitter.com/GDIL0abZ4Z
— Right Livelihood (@rightlivelihood) September 25, 2019
In an open nomination process, the jury received 142 nominations from 59 countries.
The Right Livelihood Award or Alternative Nobel Prize was created in 1980 by philanthropist and philatelist Jakob von Uexkull. It is celebrated annually and aims to “honor and support brave people in solving global problems.” The ‘Alternative Nobel Prizes’ will be presented in Stockholm on December 4 at a ceremony for the first time open to the public to mark the 40th anniversary of the prize.
Congratulations to 2019 #RightlivelihoodAward Laureate @AminatouHaidar ??
Also called the “Sharawi Gandhi,” she has for over 30 years campaigned for peaceful #nonviolence resistance and the independence of #WesternSahara.
Learn more ➡️ https://t.co/MTHfmDuCLK #AlternativeNobel pic.twitter.com/kxtHUvSPzW
— Right Livelihood (@rightlivelihood) September 25, 2019
