An environmentalist is a person who is concerned with and/or advocates for the protection of the environment. An environmentalist can be considered a supporter of the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities". An environmentalist is engaged in or believes in the philosophy of environmentalism or one of the related philosophies.
Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First held on April 22, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by EARTHDAY.ORG including 1 billion people in more than 193 countries. The official theme for 2023 is Invest In Our Planet.
The climate movement is a global social movement focused on pressuring governments and industry to take action addressing the causes and impacts of climate change. Environmental non-profit organizations have engaged in significant climate activism since the late 1980s and early 1990s, as they sought to influence the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Climate activism has become increasingly prominent over time, gaining significant momentum during the 2009 Copenhagen Summit and particularly following the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2016.
Joseph Mithika Mwenda commonly known as Mithika Mwenda or simply Mzalendo, is the Kenyan-born co-founder of the African climate change activism organisation Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA). He has been a climate advocate for over 10 years.
Wanjira Mathai is a Kenyan environmentalist and activist. She is Vice President and Regional Director for Africa at the World Resources Institute, based in Nairobi, Kenya. In this role, she takes on global issues including deforestation and energy access. She was selected as one of the 100 Most Influential Africans by New African Magazine in 2018 for her role serving as the senior advisor at the World Resources Institute as well as for her recent campaign to plant over 30 million trees through her work at the Green Belt Movement.
Elizabeth Wanjiru Wathuti is a Kenyan environment and climate activist and founder of the Green Generation Initiative, which nurtures young people to love nature and be environmentally conscious at a young age and has now planted 30,000 tree seedlings in Kenya.
Jerome Foster II is an American environmental activist. He is the youngest-ever White House Advisor in United States history, as a member of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council within the Biden administration. Foster is a leading voice for marginalized and working class communities in spaces pushing for social, economic and environmental justice. Foster is one of the major organizers of Fridays for Future; holding weekly climate strikes at the front gates of the White House for over 57 weeks. He has previously served as a congressional intern for U.S. Representative John Lewis at the age of 16 years old and served on the Washington DC State Board of Education's Advisory Council at the age of 14 years old.
Leah Namugerwa is a youth climate activist in Uganda. She is known for leading tree planting campaigns and for starting a petition to enforce the plastic bag ban in Uganda. Following inspiration from Greta Thunberg, she began supporting school strikes in February 2019 with fellow Fridays for the Future Uganda organizer Sadrach Nirere.
Kaluki Paul Mutuku is a Kenyan climate activist and environmentalist, working to improve youth participation in decision-making around climate justice. He is the co-founder of Kenya Environmental Activists Network (KEAN); KEAN is a NGO that provides a platform that will bring together environmental activists. His center of attention for Africa lies around environmental rejuvenation, afforestation, organic farming and youth leadership across boards.
Nkosilathi Nyathi is a Zimbabwe UNICEF Climate Advocate. Nyathi has been a fierce advocate of advancing Zimbabwe’s climate and environmental agenda from an early age. The teenage activist has demonstrated to young Zimbabweans that they can take powerful steps in mitigating climate impacts within their communities. Nyathi started his activism journey by using the power of visual media to document first-hand experiences of the devastating effects of drought, flooding, and soil erosion within his home community in Victoria Falls. Nyathi’s vivid video documentary has shed light on the raw experiences of the socio-economic damage climate impacts have to the fabric of his home community. Despite Nyathi’s numerous award-winning accolades, the Zimbabwean activist is no stranger to putting effort into doing the real work. With a knack for public speaking, Nyathi has been a leading voice for the youth. As the UNICEF Zimbabwe representative, Nyathi is a fervent advocate who has delivered compelling appeals to world leaders for climate action in various conferences such as COP25 and the African Regional Summit on Sustainable Development to address climate change urgently Not only is Nyathi committed to holding leaders accountable, but he also co-heads the green club and hosts global virtual talks to numerous youth groups on climate action. He started campaigning at the age of 10 and advocates for youth inclusion in decision making roles. He is of the opinion youths’ efforts towards climate justice can not materialize if they can’t make calls at decision making platforms. Nkosilathi was at 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference COP25 in Madrid campaigning for more climate actions and youth inclusion from world leaders.
Saoi O'Connor is an Irish climate activist, who began the Fridays for Future strike in Cork, Ireland in January 2019.
Mitzi Jonelle Tan is a Filipino climate justice activist. She lives in Metro Manila, Philippines.
Martha Karambu Koome is a Kenyan advocate who is currently serving as the Chief Justice of Kenya, and is the first woman to occupy the post.
Sofia Hernandez Salazar is a Costa Rican human rights, and environmental activist.
Dominique Palmer is a British climate justice activist and student. She began her activism as a U.K environmental youth activist in the School Strike for Climate Movement.
Evelyn Acham is a climate justice activist from Kampala Uganda and national Ugandan coordinator of the Rise Up Movement, which was founded by her friend and fellow organizer Vanessa Nakate.
Eric Damien Njuguna is a climate activist from Kenya.
Rahmina Paullete, commonly known as Rahmina, is a Kenyan climate activist and a conservationist at Fridays for future as well as the head campaigner for #LetLakeVictoriaBreatheAgain that advocates for the restoration of Lake Victoria. She is the founder of Kisumu environmental champions, an organization that does environmental, wildlife conservation and climate change advocacy.
Adriana Calderón Hernandéz is a youth climate activist and organizer from Mexico. She currently advocates for climate justice with Fridays For Future, Fridays For Future MAPA and Fridays For Future in Mexico. She is one of the co-signers of UNICEF's Children's climate risk index report, part of the delegation of Fridays For Future MAPA that attended COP26, and one of the activists targeting the British multinational bank Standard Chartered and the Mexican state-owned petroleum company Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX).
