Armed with a placard and the will to help the environment, Greta Thunberg is making history.

The teen activist started a worldwide movement to bring attention to climate change, its impact on the planet, and what we can do to combat it.

Her efforts made her a contender for the Nobel Peace Prize, though she didn't win, and the recipient of a slew of other awards, the most recent of which was the Nordic Council's environmental award.

But this is one trophy she wouldn't be adding to her mantel, because "the climate movement does not need any more awards".

The 16-year-old thanked the council for recognising her and her work on Instagram, saying it was a huge honour, but she politely declined the prize and the 500,000 Swedish kronor (NZD$80,935) prize money.

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Instead of more awards, she hoped those in power would heed the warnings of climate scientists.

"What we need is for our politicians and the people in power start to listen to the current, best available science."

According to the Nordic Co-operation website, the prize was awarded to a company, organisation or individual for their efforts in integrating respect for the environment into their line or work or "some other form of extraordinary initiative on behalf of nature and the environment".

This year's theme was "initiatives that promote sustainable consumption and production by doing more with less," the website stated. Thunberg was nominated by both Sweden and Norway. 

In her Instagram post, she praised Norway's efforts in the fight for climate action, but highlighted the need for more work to be done to limit emissions.

"When it comes to our actual emissions and our ecological footprints per capita - if we include our consumption, our imports as well as aviation and shipping - then it's a whole other story," she wrote.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4Ns7PQpE5C/?utm_source=ig_embed

As one of the richest countries in the world and a party to the Paris Agreement, Thunberg believed Norway needed to do more.

"We belong to the countries that have the possibility to do the most. And yet our countries still basically do nothing."

She referenced the country's newest and third largest oil field, Johan Sverdrup, and its 50-year plan to produce oil and natural gas. Though the oil field is a better alternative to others around the world - each barrel produces less than 4 per cent emissions in comparison, according to its website - Thunberg said it was still too much to close the gap and limit rising temperatures.

Until Norway limited their emissions to limit rising temperatures, Thunberg, who was currently travelling around the United States and unable to attend the award ceremony, said she would not be accepting the award.

Representatives of Fridays for Future, the worldwide movement started after Thunberg's three-week strike in front of Swedish Parliament in 2018, accepted the award on her behalf and passed on her message. 

Thunberg's drive and determination to bring awareness to the dire state of the environment had spread around the world, including New Zealand. Thousands of Kiwi students picked up the baton and marched for climate change earlier in the year.

The new wave of youth climate activists were receiving mixed messages from those in power. Thunberg, who had been mocked by various world leaders, such as US President Donald Trump, said the negativity should be taken as a compliment.

"That we should take as compliment that we are having so much impact that people want to silence us," she previously said. "We've become too loud for people to handle so people want to silence us."