Greta Thunberg nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
Two Swedish lawmakers have nominated climate activist Greta Thunberg for the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize.
Talking to reporters Monday, Jens Holm and Hakan Svenneling said Thunberg "has worked hard to make politicians open their eyes to the climate crisis" and "action for reducing our emissions and complying with the Paris Agreement is therefore also an act of making peace."
This isn't the first time Thunberg, 17, has been acknowledged for her climate change activism. In early 2019, she was nominated for the Nobel prize by Norwegian Parliament but lost out to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali. Then, in December, she graced the cover of Time magazine as the person of the year.
Thunberg's activism started in 2018 when she began protesting outside of the Swedish Parliament on Fridays instead of going to school. She sat next to the building holding a hand-painted sign that read “skolstrejk för klimatet,” which translates to “School strike for the climate,” which is now an internationally recognized slogan that has been translated into dozens of languages.
GRETA THUNBERG AND CANADA’S CHANGING CLIMATE
Thunberg made several Canadian appearances that attracted tens of thousands of people in 2019. In October, 10,000 gathered at the Vancouver Art Gallery in B.C. to hear her speak.
She met with Prime Minister Trudeau in September 2019 ahead of the mass climate rally in Montreal, a gathering that attracted half a million people. After, when asked if she had a message for Trudeau, she said she told him what she tells every political leader -- they are not doing enough to fight climate change.
HOW CANADA PLANS ON MITIGATING AND ADAPTING TO CLIMATE CHANGE
Canada has set a number of goals to reduce the severity of climate change’s impacts, including a 2030 emission reduction target of 30 per cent below 2005 levels and net-zero emissions by 2050.
Net-zero emissions by 2050 is a highly ambitious goal and Canada is falling behind other reduction targets that were previously set. The Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate was implemented in 2016 as a strategy for reducing national emissions but has only been adopted in small increments.
Steps that the government states it will take to achieve this net-zero emissions goal include a price on pollution; affordable energy-efficient homes; options that will make it easier for people to choose zero-emission vehicles; clean power that is affordable for all communities; working with businesses to make Canada the best place to start and grow a clean technology company; and assistance for people who have been displaced by climate-related disasters.
Thumbnail image courtesy: Reuters.
