Greta Thunberg's confrontational style got her a Nobel nomination. It might also cost her the win.


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."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Taylor Watson is audience engagement editor for TheWeek.com and a former editorial assistant. She graduated from Syracuse University, with a major in magazine journalism and minors in food studies and nutrition. Taylor has previously written for Runner's World, Vice, and more.
-
Spain's love of sunflower seeds is wrecking its football stadiums
Under the Radar One club controversially bans 'national vice' as discarded 'pipas' shells block drains and erode concrete
-
Today's political cartoons - May 11, 2025
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - shark-infested waters, Mother's Day, and more
-
5 fundamentally funny cartoons about the US Constitution
Cartoons Artists take on Sharpie edits, wear and tear, and more
-
EPA is reportedly killing Energy Star program
speed read The program for energy-efficient home appliances has saved consumers billions in energy costs since its 1992 launch
-
US proposes eroding species protections
Speed Read The Trump administration wants to change the definition of 'harm' in the Environmental Protection Act to allow habitat damage
-
Severe storms kill dozens across central US
Speed Read At least 40 people were killed over the weekend by tornadoes, wildfires and dust storms
-
Rain helps Los Angeles wildfires, risks mudslides
Speed Read The weather provided relief for crews working to contain wildfires, though rain over a burn area ups the chances of flooding and mudslides
-
Death toll rises in LA fires as wind lull allows progress
Speed Read At least 24 people have died and 100,000 people are under mandatory evacuation orders
-
Biden cancels Italy trip as raging LA fires spread
Speed Read The majority of the fires remain 0% contained
-
Fast-spreading Los Angeles wildfires spark panic
Speed Read About 30,000 people were under an evacuation order as the inferno spread
-
Hundreds feared dead in French Mayotte cyclone
Speed Read Cyclone Chido slammed into Mayotte, a French territory in the Indian Ocean