- Title: A Nobel for Sweden's Greta Thunberg? A tough decision for prize committee
- Date: 25th September 2019
- Summary: OSLO, NORWAY (SEPTEMBER 24, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF RESEARCH DIRECTOR AT THE PEACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE, HENRIK URDAL, SEATED AT HIS DESK (SOUNDBITE) (English) RESEARCH DIRECTOR AT THE PEACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE, HENRIK URDAL, TALKING ABOUT THE LIKELIHOOD OF GRETA THUNBERG WINNING NOBEL PRIZE: "It's certainly not impossible, I think the committee is considering whether she would be a worthy nominee. I think there is a lot of reasons why she should be considered - climate change being the most important pressing issue of our time - and also because there is a certain history and certain legacy of environmental prizes in the past." STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN (SEPTEMBER 20, 2019) (REUTERS) PROTESTERS GATHERED OUTSIDE PARLIAMENT BUILDING PROTESTERS MARCHING AND CHANTING (SOUNDBITE) (English and Swedish) PROTESTER, ERIK BLOMBERG, AND STUDENT, KIAN BLOMBERG, SAYING: ERIK (English): "I think that could be a very good, very good thing and a very good signal towards the establishment, absolutely. Might put a bit too much pressure on her, but, yeah, I think it's good." REPORTER OFF CAMERA (Swedish): "Do you think Greta deserves a Nobel Peace Prize?" KIAN (Swedish): "Yes, I think so. She has done a lot and if she would get it, the government sort of would show that they also agree with her." OSLO, NORWAY (SEPTEMBER 24, 2019) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) RESEARCH DIRECTOR AT THE PEACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE, HENRIK URDAL, SAYING: "I think that the case for giving her the prize is that she is dedicated to work for climate action in the field that is the most pressing of our time, doing something about major climate changes that will have huge human consequences, and her actions have been absolutely important for the raising of youth awareness and youth engagement in this area and that's a very impressive record that she has achieved in a very, very short time." STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN (SEPTEMBER 20, 2019) (REUTERS) PROTESTERS MARCHING (SOUNDBITE) (English) SAVE THE CHILDREN SWEDEN GENERAL-SECRETARY, HELENA THYBELL, ANSWERING QUESTION ON WHETHER GRETA THUNBERG SHOULD RECEIVE NOBEL PRIZE: "Well I think that what she is doing and how she is mobilising around the world is fantastic and also to be able to give children and youth their voices so I think that sounds like a good idea." (SOUNDBITE) (English) STUDENT, JOHANNA KORSNERBORG, 17, SAYING: "I think that would be great, because then one can show that the climate question is very important and needs to be discussed. And we need more action as she (Thunberg) would say in addition to discussion." PROTESTER INGRID SITTING ON HER MOTHER PERNILLA'S SHOULDERS (SOUNDBITE) (Swedish) PROTESTER, PERNILLA, SAYING: "I think, I mean I agree with Greta - prizes are useless unless someone with power starts doing things." (SOUNDBITE) (Swedish) 9 YEAR-OLD STUDENT, MATILDA KINDBLAD, SAYING: "Good, because I think she deserves it. She's been on strike a lot and yes..." PROTESTERS MARCHING OSLO, NORWAY (SEPTEMBER 24, 2019) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) RESEARCH DIRECTOR AT THE PEACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE, HENRIK URDAL, SAYING: REPORTERS OFF CAMERA: So is there a case against her candidacy?" URDAL: "I think there are two main obstacles for her candidacy. The first being that at the age of 16 the expectations following a Nobel peace prize can be quite tall and I think the committee would seriously consider whether that is worth putting that weight on the shoulders of a 16-year-old. The other, and perhaps more important, is that the committee would then have to make a connection between the work that she's doing for climate change action, and peace and that's not as straight forward as we may think. The link between climate change or environmental change and conflict is disputed among scientists and is also something the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) is reflecting in their reports."
- Embargoed: 9th October 2019 12:07
- Keywords: Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed conflict Peace Research Institute RSF peace Greta Thunberg Nobel Committee refugees press freedom environment Nobel peace prize Reporters without borders analyst climate UNHCR
- Location: OSLO, NORWAY / STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN / ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA / HODEIDAH, YEMEN / PARIS, FRANCE
- City: OSLO, NORWAY / STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN / ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA / HODEIDAH, YEMEN / PARIS, FRANCE
- Country: Norway
- Topics: Environment
- Reuters ID: LVA002AY5P2YV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg's shaming of world leaders and air travellers over climate change has won her millions of admirers and attracted many new followers to her cause. But it just might cost her the Nobel Peace Prize.
Thunberg, one of few people whose nomination has become known before the awards ceremony, is the bookmakers' favourite to win the prize next month.
At 16, she would be the youngest recipient of the 930,000 U.S. dollar award won by the likes of Nelson Mandela, Jimmy Carter and Mikhail Gorbachev. She would be the first to win the prize for environmental work since former U.S. vice president Al Gore shared it in 2007 for raising awareness of climate change.
But Thunberg's youth, outspokenness and confrontational approach - the very factors that have made her the global face of climate change activism and a prize contender - present challenging questions for the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
With expectations of Nobel Prize winners so high, the committee will also consider Thunberg's age and how a teenager would cope with the burden of the public spotlight that comes with the peace prize, Research Director at the Peace Research Institute (PRIO), Henrik Urdal, said.
Five years ago, Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzai won the award at the age of 17, but her candidacy was less divisive than Thunberg's.
Also possibly counting against Thunberg is a debate in academic circles about whether environmental activism counts towards peace, as defined in Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel's will, even though Gore shared his award with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Apart from Thunberg, other leading possible contenders for the award include Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for the reconciliation he forged in 2018 with Eritrea and Reporters Without Borders, or the Committee to Protect Journalists, groups that campaign for freedom of the press.
The United Nations Refugee Agency and its head Filippo Grandi could also be named in recognition of their work towards refugees and as a way to highlight the right to asylum.
(Production: Gwladys Fouche, Ilze Filks) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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