Like her or loathe her, Greta Thunberg, a young environment activist from Sweden, is taking a stance against climate change. She has gained international recognition for promoting the view that humanity is facing an existential crisis arising from climate change but, more recently, has won the inaugural Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity, awarded by a Portuguese philanthropic organisation, which includes a €1 million reward.
Thunberg was selected from 136 nominees in 46 countries for the prize that aims to recognise people, groups of people and/or organisations from all over the world whose contributions to mitigation and adaptation to climate change stand out for its novelty, innovation and impact.
However, the 17-year-old activist has announced that while she is “incredibly honoured and extremely grateful to be awarded the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity”, the prize money is “more money than I [she] can even begin to imagine” and that she will donate it all to environmental causes.
In a video on her Instagram, Greta said that the prize money would “help organisations and projects who are fighting for a sustainable world, and who are fighting to defend nature and the natural world”.
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A post shared by Greta Thunberg (@gretathunberg) on Jul 20, 2020 at 3:34am PDT
Greta has announced that her foundation will, as quickly as possible, donate all the €1 million prize money to “support organisations and projects that are fighting for a sustainable world, defending nature and supporting people already facing the worst impacts of the climate- and ecological crisis – particularly those living in the Global South”.
She has already pledged to give €100,000 to the SOS Amazonia Campaign to tackle COVID-19 in the Amazon and €100,000 to the Stop Ecocide Foundation to support their work to make ecocide, the extensive damage to, destruction of or loss of ecosystem(s) of a given territory, an international crime.
Greta is yet to announce who the rest of the money will help, but we’re sure that whoever she chooses will be worthy causes.
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