- Title: Climate activist Greta Thunberg turns 18
- Date: 30th September 2021
- Summary: PLYMOUTH, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (FILE - AUGUST 14, 2019) (REUTERS) PEOPLE BOARDING YACHT FROM JETTY
- Embargoed: 14th October 2021 03:45
- Keywords: Barack Obama Climate activism Congress EU Parliament Fridays for Future Greta Thunberg Pope Francis Sweden U.N climate politics global warming trans-atlantic
- Location: VARIOUS LOCATIONS
- City: VARIOUS LOCATIONS
- Country: Various
- Topics: Climate Change,Environment,General News,Government / Politics,Climate Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA00HEWXL0SN
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Teenaged climate activist Greta Thunberg is among the contenders for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize.
Sweden's Thunberg pioneered a climate change campaign that swelled from a one-person school strike by the then 15-year-old to a worldwide movement, drawing in millions of school children, and adults too, who are demanding action on climate change.
Thunberg first drew attention in August 2018 when she skipped school to protest outside the Swedish parliament each Friday.
She was soon joined by a small group of other school strikers in Stockholm, before the campaign attracted tens of thousands of students in more than 24 countries, taking part in Friday school strikes around the world.
By March 2019, the number of students taking part in worldwide Friday demonstrations hit more than two million across 135 countries.
She was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2019, and the same year named as one of the world's most influential people by Time magazine, appearing on its cover, and was one of four winners of the 2019 Right Livelihood Award, known as Sweden's alternative Nobel Prize.
Thunberg has also been awarded a French Normandy Freedom Prize and Amnesty International's Ambassador of Conscience Award.
In less than a year since starting the "Fridays for Future" campaign, Thunberg had addressed the European Parliament, met Pope Francis, and addressed the UK's House of Commons.
In August 2019, Thunberg sailed into New York Harbour on a zero-carbon emissions vessel, completing a nearly 14-day journey from Britain to take part in a United Nations climate summit. Meanwhile, the total number of climate strikers reached 3.6 million people across 169 countries.
During her first visit to the United States, Thunberg met former president Barack Obama, the President of the United Nations General Assembly Maria Fernanda Espinosa, and addressed Congress, where she told them to "wake up" and "listen to the science".
In 2020, after leading climate marches in Belgium and Switzerland, Thunberg moved the weekly rallies online as the coronavirus pandemic spread around the world.
Her role as a figurehead for a global climate change campaign continued in 2020. She berated world leaders at the Youth4Climate meeting in Milan, Italy in the run-up to the United Nations COP 26 climate conference, saying: "There is no Planet B...Change is not only possible, but necessary, but not if we go on like we are today."
There are 329 candidates for 2021's Nobel Peace Prize, the third-highest number of contenders for the prestigious award ever.
The winner of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on October 8.
(Production: Aiden Nulty, Lucy Marks, Vanessa Romeo, Paul Warren, Jim Hatley, Amy Pollock) - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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