Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg was awarded a €1 million (Dh4.2m/$1.1m) climate change prize on Tuesday, but said that instead of becoming a millionaire she would donate it to environmental causes.
Ms Thunberg, 17, won the inaugural Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity, awarded by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, a Portuguese philanthropy organisation.
The prize seeks to recognise people or organisations “whose contributions to mitigation and adaptation to climate change stand out for their novelty, innovation and impact”, the foundation’s website says.
The young activist was selected among 79 organisations and 57 people from 46 countries.
The prize jury was chaired by Jorge Sampaio, who was Portuguese president from 1996 to 2006.
Ms Thunberg will give €100,000 of the prize to the SOS Amazonia campaign, led by Fridays for Future Brazil to tackle Covid-19 in the Amazon, and €100,000 to the Stop Ecocide Foundation to support their work to make ecocide an international crime.
Mr Sampaio, also the inaugural Mandela Prize winner in 2015, said the jury reached “a broad consensus” that the Swede had been able to mobilise the younger generation to fight climate change.
He said her “tenacious struggle to alter a status quo that persists makes her one of the most remarkable figures of our days”.
The judging panel was made up of internationally renowned personalities from science, technology, politics and culture.
It highlighted Ms Thunberg’s “charismatic and inspiring” personality, but also her ability to deliver a hard-hitting message that “aroused disparate feelings” about climate change globally.
The activist said she was “extremely honoured” to receive the prize.
“We’re in a climate emergency, and my foundation will as quickly as possible donate all the prizemoney of €1m to support organisations and projects that are fighting for a sustainable world, defending nature and supporting people already facing the worst impacts of the climate and ecological crisis, particularly those living in the global south,” Ms Thunberg said.
She was Time magazine's Person of the Year in 2019. Forbes Magazine included her in the list of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women of 2019 and she was nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize, in 2019 and 2020.
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
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Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
The years Ramadan fell in May
Disability on screen
Empire — neuromuscular disease myasthenia gravis; bipolar disorder; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Rosewood and Transparent — heart issues
24: Legacy — PTSD;
Superstore and NCIS: New Orleans — wheelchair-bound
Taken and This Is Us — cancer
Trial & Error — cognitive disorder prosopagnosia (facial blindness and dyslexia)
Grey’s Anatomy — prosthetic leg
Scorpion — obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety
Switched at Birth — deafness
One Mississippi, Wentworth and Transparent — double mastectomy
Dragons — double amputee
Banthology: Stories from Unwanted Nations
Edited by Sarah Cleave, Comma Press
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
The five pillars of Islam
