Terming the award offer from the Nordic Council, the inter-parliamentary cooperation body between Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland and their autonomous areas, a "great honour", she said that "the climate movement does not need any more awards" but "politic and the people in power" need to listen to the "current, best-available science", the BBC reported.
In an Instagram post explaining her decision to turn down the award and prize money of 500,000 kronor (46,000 euros), Thunberg said: "The Nordic countries have a great reputation around the world when it comes to climate and environmental issues."
"There is no lack of bragging about this. There is no lack of beautiful words," she said, but the region's energy consumption pattern told "a whole other story".
Citing a WWF and the Global Footprint Network report, which says Sweden, along with most of the Nordic region, lives as if the world has resources of four planets, Thunberg said that the gap between what science said was needed to limit a global temperature increase and what was being implemented was "gigantic".
"We belong to the countries that have the possibility to do the most. And yet our countries still basically do nothing," she added.
Nordic Council President, Hans Wallmark, said the organisation respected her decision and would think carefully about what to do with the prize money.
( With inputs from IANS )