The very things that could make Greta Thunberg a shoo-in for the Nobel Peace Prize may be the things that prevent her from winning the award.
Though the committee is considering the 16-year-old Swedish climate activist for the honor, they're having doubts because her actions "alienate" some people, reports Reuters.
Thunberg took an emissions-free yacht to travel across the Atlantic Ocean to the U.S. rather than a carbon-emitting airplane. But "the problem is that the principle of 'flight shame' brings her chances ... down," Sverre Lodgaard, former deputy member of the award committee, told Reuters. "Shame is not a constructive feeling to bring about change."
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Additionally, the "denunciations of world leaders by a teenager" may harm her chances, though her fiery speech before the United Nations caught the attention of viewers around the world, including President Trump.
While she started the Youth Climate Strike movement, she is not alone. Fifteen other young activists joined her in a lawsuit taking on countries for their inaction on climate change. She led the global climate strike that took place in more than 163 countries on all seven continents. Because a Nobel prize would bring even more public scrutiny, committee members are reportedly considering splitting the prize between her and other activists to avoid putting a "tremendous burden" on a single teenager.
But we'll have to wait until Oct. 11 to see if the very actions that thrust her into the global spotlight will harm her chances of winning the $930,000 award, or if she'll care. In her own words, "I have not met one single climate activist who is fighting for the climate for money. That idea is completely absurd." Read more at Reuters.
