Climate Crisis
12 climate activists inspiring us to fight climate change
We can do something about climate change. Here are 12 climate activists from around the world who are inspiring us to take action
Around the world, individuals are leading the fight against climate change; calling on their governments and corporations to take action to protect our planet and ensure we all have a safe place to call home. From asking governments and corporations to do their part to school strikes, grass-root initiatives like tree-planting and innovative recycling systems.
Here are just 12 activists from around the world who are inspiring us, today:
1. Ilyess El Korbi
Born in Ukraine, Ilyess grew up in Morrocco, moving back to Ukraine when they were 14-years-old. When Ilyess wanted to take part in climate movement protests in 2019, they discovered that none had yet been registered in Ukraine. Together with friends, they changed this and Ilyess is now the board secretary of Fridays For Future Ukraine.
When the war broke out in Ukraine, Ilyess was in Kyiv and fortunately was able to flee to Berlin a short time after. Together with other climate activists in Germany, they are now raising awareness about the situation in Ukraine and the climate crisis.
“It's not just about Ukraine anymore. It's about Syria and other countries around the world,” says 25-year-old Ilyess, “We have to demand change together. People need to come out to the streets on Friday and strike together with us.”
Photo: Photo provided by Ilyess
2. Xiye Bastida
Based in New York, Xiye Bastida Patrick is a Mexican climate activist and one of the leading voices for indigenous and immigrant visibility in climate activism. She is one of the lead organizers of the Fridays for Future Youth climate strike movement and cofounded Re-Earth Initiative, an international nonprofit organization that is inclusive and intersectional.
3. Elizabeth Wanjiru Wathuti
Award-winning Kenyan environment activist Elizabeth Wanjiru Wathuti founded the Green Generation Initiative which has planted over 30,000 tree seedlings in Kenya and encourages young people to discover and care for nature.
Elizabeth Wathuti is an environmentalist and climate activist from Kenya
"When I was younger, I had an opportunity to spend time in nature, in the central highlands of Kenya, but along the way, I witnessed deforestation firsthand.," Elizabeth recalls. "The wild forests I liked to play in were cut down. The streams I used to drink from are now polluted or drying up."
This anger then gave me a hunger to do something about global environmental challenges like deforestation and climate change for the sake of humanity's survival
"The natural world my friends and I knew as children changed before our eyes and this made me feel so angry and heartbroken. This anger then gave me a hunger to do something about global environmental challenges like deforestation and climate change for the sake of humanity's survival.
Stories of lost forests and poisoned rivers are not unique to my community, or even my country: this is something we all share, in Africa, around the world. I have since then been determined to do something to stop this destruction while inspiring the love for nature among children and I’m so encouraged to know that I am not alone."
4. Leah Namugerwa
Leah Namugerwa has become known for celebrating her 15th birthday by planting 200 trees! She went on to found the Birthday Trees project so others can follow suit. As well as her tree planting campaign, Leah kick started a petition to enforce a plastic bag ban in Uganda.
5. Michaela Loach
When she is not studying medicine, Mikaela Loach is a sustainable lifestyle blogger based in Edinburgh. Mikaela first started speaking up on the issue after reading about the refugee crisis and visiting Calais. “One day I realized that these things were really interconnected: the climate crisis is connected to the refugee crisis, and they are both also connected to racial injustice and the legacies of colonialism,” she told Global Citizen.
6. Leah Thomas
Leah Thomas, also known as Green Girl Leah, is an American environmental activist active on Instagram whose work focuses on the application of intersectionality to environmental justice. She has been recognized in the 2024 Forbes 30 Under 30 list of notable young professionals.
Leah runs Intersectional Environmentalist, a website targeted towards people interested in the relationship between the environment and social justice. She is also the author of The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People + Planet, which provides advice to environmental activists and describes theories of relationships between race, privilege, social justice, and the environment.
7. Fatou Jeng
Fatou Jeng is a youth climate activist in Gambia, focused on education, conservation and planting trees. She founded Clean Earth Gambia. Impressively, Fatou was named among the 30 most influential young Gambians of 2019, and in March 2023, the United Nations' Secretary-General announced Fatou and 6 others as members of his Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change.
8. Greta Thunberg
A global figure and a key name in the climate conversation, we couldn’t compile a list of climate warriors without including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. What originally began as a solo protest outside of her school, has now snowballed into Fridays for Future, an international school strike on involving millions around the world. Not only that but in 2019 she sailed across the Atlantic to attend the UN climate conference. Later that year, she was crowned Time’s Magazine person of the year.
9. David Attenborough
No introduction is needed for Sir David Attenborough who has long been an advocate for the planet. While he may not be as active on social media as some others in the list, over the years his name has become synonymous for learning about, and caring for the planet we call home.
He is best known for writing and presenting, in conjunction with the BBC Studios Natural History Unit, the nine nature documentary series forming the Life collection, a comprehensive survey of animal and plant life on Earth, as well as the more recent Planet Earth series.
10. Ecaterina Lutisina
Ecaterina is a 31-year old activist based in Moldova. She is an advocate for mental health, animal rights and the climate crisis. After a long involvement with the climate moment, she co-founded the Extinction Rebellion Branch in Moldova. Over the last few years, they have organized protests, lectures, flash mobs and tree-planting initiates to mobilize people in Moldova for the climate.
When the war broke out in Ukraine, she and her friends mobilized very quickly and set-up “Moldova for peace”. So far, they have brought together over 50,000 people to support refugees, helping to provide food and shelter. “I feel very grateful that we are neighbors with Ukraine. The courage and the power of people is just so inspiring.”
11. Lesein Mutunkei
17-year-old environmental activist from Kenya, Lesein Mutunkei, has found a way to marry two of his greatest passions: football and the environment. Since 2018, every time he scores a goal with his football team, Lesein has vowed to plant 11 trees - one for each team player. Now he is calling on other schools and clubs to adopt his Trees 4 Club initiative.
12. John Paul Jose
John Paul Jose is an environmental and climate activist from Kerala, India. His accolades range from collaboration with NGOs and the UN and delivering TEDx Talks - all before his 24th birthday. With first-hand experience of the impact of climate change, John Paul is committed to highlighting how global warming is affecting India’s forests and ecosystems.
What is the International Rescue Committee?
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) helps people affected by humanitarian crises to survive, recover and rebuild their lives. Working in some of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world, the IRC is committed to responding to the impacts of climate change.
