Climate change: Greta Thunberg gives 1m Euros to climate charities

Greta Thunberg is donating 1m Euros - around £900,000 - to charities working to protect the environment and tackle climate change.

The 17-year-old activist was awarded the money on Monday, after being given the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity.

The award recognises groups or individuals defending nature in the fight against climate change.

In a video, Greta said she is 'incredibly honoured and extremely grateful' to be given the prize.

"That is more money than I can begin to imagine," said the teenager, "but all the prize money will be donated, through my foundation, to different organisations and projects who are working to help people on the front lines, affected by the climate crisis and ecological crisis."

One of Greta's first two donations of 100,000 euros each will go to SOS Amazonia, a crowdfunding campaign aiming to buy medical supplies and provide help to residents of Brazil's Amazon rainforest.

The second will be given the Stop Ecocide Foundation, which is asking the International Criminal Court to prosecute people responsible for destroying the natural world, on a large scale.

'Remarkable figure'

Greta was selected from 136 nominees in 46 countries for the prize, launched by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, a Portuguese organisation.

Jorge Sampaio, the former Portuguese president, who is in charge of the prize jury said Greta is "one of the most remarkable figures of our days" for her ability to mobilise younger generations in support of action to tackle climate change".

Call for action

As well as making a difference through her donation, Greta is also calling for people to take action through signing an open letter directed at international leaders.

The letter asks governments to treat climate change with the same urgency that has been used during the coronavirus pandemic.

It says: "It is now clearer than ever that the climate crisis has never once been treated as a crisis, neither from the politicians, media, business, nor finance,

"And the longer we keep pretending that we are on a reliable path to lower emissions and that the actions required to avoid a climate disaster are available within today's system - or for that matter that we can solve a crisis without treating it like one - the more precious time we will lose."

Hundreds of people, including celebrities and academics have put their names to the letter too.