Fridays for Future, the global movement initiated by climate activist and student Greta Thunberg won her the Amnesty International's Ambassador of Conscience Award. This puts Greta with the likes of Nobel Prize winners Malala Yousafzai, who advocated for education of girls and Nelson Mandela who fought racism.
The 16-year-old from Sweden started the movement, 'Fridays for Future' with a weekly vigil outside the parliament last year. Within the year, the movement was picked up in other countries like Brazil, Uganda, Australia and even India, where students have been coming out and talking about climate change. ."You have to fight for what you think is right. I think all those who are part of this movement are doing that," said Thunberg in a statement."The blatant injustice we all need to fight against is that people in the global south are the ones who are and will be most affected by climate change, while they are the least responsible for causing it," she added.
"We are humbled and inspired by the determination with which youth activists across the world are challenging us all to confront the realities of the climate crisis," said Kumi Naidoo,secretary-general of Amnesty International.
This form of activism by students flipped patterns of authority, handing leadership roles to teenagers who feel aghast at the mismatch between calls for transformative action from climate scientists and rising carbon emissions. Despite warning from United Nations, global carbon emissions hit a new record high.
