Greta Thunberg is a passionate young climate activist who has inspired people all over the world to take action on fighting climate change. Greta has recently been awarded the Portuguese Gulbenkian rights award for her efforts, which she says is ‘more money than I can begin to imagine.’
On Jul 20, Greta announced that she would give the entire €1m ($1.15m) prize money to groups working on the frontlines to protect the environment and curb climate change.
The Swedish teenager said:
That is more money than I can begin to imagine, but all the prize money will be donated, through my foundation, to different organizations and projects which are working to help people on the front line, affected by the climate crisis and ecological crisis.
According to Jorge Sampaio, chair of the prize jury, Greta was awarded the Gulbenkian prize for ‘humanity,’ precisely for how she “has been able to mobilize younger generations for the cause of climate change and her tenacious struggle to alter a status quo that persists.”
The “SOS Amazonia” campaign organized by Fridays For Future Brazil, will receive the first €100,000 of the prize money, to help fight the COVID-19 outbreak in the Amazon. Another €100,000 will contribute to the Stop Ecocide Foundation, to support their work of illegalizing ecocide internationally. Ecocide is a human activity that infringes the principles of environmental justice, including destroying ecosystems and causing extensive damage or harming the well-being and health of a species.
Greta has also won Amnesty International’s top human rights prize and the Swedish Right Livelihood Award, also known as an alternative Nobel. However, this €1M is the largest prize she has ever won. The 17-year old environmental campaigner said she was “extremely honored” to receive the Gulbenkian prize.
