By Michele Debczak, Mental Floss
Greta Thunberg hasn't graduated high school yet, but she's already a nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize. As TIME reports, the Swedish activist is being considered for the honor in recognition of her work in the fight against climate change.
The 16-year-old first made news in August 2018, when she led a school strike for climate action outside the Swedish Parliament. That first demonstration has evolved into the Fridays for Future movement, in which young people around the world skip class on Fridays to protest outside their nearest town hall. In addition to her on-the-ground activism, Greta Thunberg has also given a TED Talk on climate change and addressed the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Poland on the subject.
Three Norwegian lawmakers nominated her for the Nobel Peace Prize, with parliamentary representative Freddy Andre Oevstegaard telling the Norwegian media outlet VG, “We have nominated Greta because the climate threat may be one of the most important causes of war and conflict.” If she wins the award in October, she will become the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate ever. Malala Yousafzai, who was 17 when she won for her work defending children's education, currently holds that title.
More than half a year after leading her first climate protest, Thunberg's movement is going strong. Student protests set for Friday, March 15 are expected to be the largest Friday for Future demonstrations yet, with tens of thousands of students in 100 countries planning to participate.
