Greta Thunberg's fans are upset she did not win Nobel Peace Prize, but experts say she should have never been a contender
Teenage Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg's fans were visibly disappointed after Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize instead of her on Friday, October 11.
Thunberg, who would have been the youngest person to ever be conferred with the prestigious prize if she had won, was a favorite contender for many in the race.
The 16-year-old had launched the 'Fridays For Future' movement last year, also known as School Strike for Climate. The movement began after she routinely skipped school on Friday to sit and protest outside the Swedish parliament, demanding urgent actions to curb climate change.
Hundreds and thousands were inspired by her movement as she encouraged students to skip school on Fridays to demand action on climate change from their governments. The remarkable movement won Thunberg a nomination in March for the coveted prize.
More than a million young people across 123 countries skipped school in March to support Thunberg's cause, and six months later, she was joined by an estimated four million people across 161 countries, making September 20 the largest climate change demonstration in history.
Although Thunberg remained silent about the Nobel snub on social media, one peace expert explained that the teenager was not selected because there "isn’t scientific consensus that there's a relationship between climate change — or resource scarcity, more broadly — and armed conflict," according to the Washington Post.
Multiple Thunberg fans, however, were disappointed and took to social media to express their outrage.
One user wrote: "How @GretaThunberg did not win the #NobelPeacePrize is beyond me. She has inspired a generation & proven that you’re never too young to make a difference. #ClimateChange is affecting the planet & the world’s leaders need to realize that our actions speak louder than words."
Another said: "Even though @GretaThunberg didn't win the peace prize this time round, the awareness and sense of responsibility she has inspired around the world is an award far greater! #Thankyougreta the fight has only just begun though! Let's take the powers to school about #ClimateChange."
Other frontrunners for the prestigious peace prize included New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for her decisive response to the Christchurch mass shootings in March and Brazilian indigenous chief, Raoni Metuktire, for his efforts to protect the Amazon.