October 11, 2007 03:51 EDT
Gore, Climate Activists, Tipped for Nobel Peace PrizeOct. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and Canadian activist Sheila Watt-Cloutier are among contenders for this year's Nobel Peace Prize for campaigning about the threat of climate change, according to Stein Toennesson, director of the International Peace Research Institute in Oslo.
Buddhist monk Thich Quang Do, former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari and humanitarian group Save the Children may also be among the 181 nominations for the 10 million-krona ($1.5 million) prize, Toennesson said in an interview. The winner is announced by the Norwegian Nobel Committee tomorrow.
``The most likely candidates to win are Al Gore and Sheila Watt-Cloutier,'' Toennesson said. ``It must be tempting for the committee to give the prize to honor work in an area that is at the top of the global agenda.''
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An award to an environmentalist would mark a shift in how the five-member Nobel committee defines peace work. The prize has often gone to people working to end armed conflicts or fighting for democratic and human rights. Kenya's Wangari Maathai was the first environmentalist to get it, in 2004.
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