The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2007 on Friday to former US Vice President Al Gore and the United Nations' climate panel, citing the importance of battling global warming. They're super serial ...
Ole D Mjøs, leader of the committee that's appointed by the Norwegian Parliament to award the Peace Prize, said the prize was to be awarded in two equal parts, to Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Mjøs said the Norwegian Nobel Committee wanted to further strengthen the focus on the importance of battling climate change by awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to Gore and the IPCC, which is led by Rajendra Pachauri.
This year's winners beat out a long list of candidates around which speculation had swirled for weeks. Included among them were human rights champions including Irena Sendler of Poland, who saved 2,500 Jewish children during World War II and Thich Quang Do, a Buddhist monk in Vietnam. Former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari also has been a longtime candidate because of his peace-broking efforts in the Aceh conflict in Indonesia.Although the Nobel Committee doesn't reveal nominees, it's also believed that the Salvation Army has been a longtime candidate for the Peace Prize. All told, 181 candidates were nominated for this year's Nobel Peace Prize, including 46 organizations.
The prize itself, which carries a cash award of SEK 10 million (about USD 1.7 million), will be awarded in Oslo on December 10, the anniversary of industrialist Alfred NobelÂ’s death. He set up the prizes and arranged for their funding through the terms of his will.
Excelsior!
