Sweden’s teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg was yesterday awarded a prestigious Amnesty International prize for mobilising world public opinion on the looming peril of global warming.

The 16-year-old issued a statement declaring it “a huge honour to receive Amnesty International’s Ambassador of Conscience Award,” saying it was recognition for everybody inspired by her “Fridays for Future” movement that has seen students strike from school to take part in climate protests.

“To act on your conscience means that you fight for what you think is right,” she said.

“We have a duty to try and improve the world. 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.”