Dana Flynn
The climate movement holds particular importance to youth, who want to inherit a healthy planet. Many leaders fighting climate change are under 30, here are 7 to watch.
Fridays for Future strike in Sanremo Tommi Boom. CC BY-SA 2.0
The young people at the forefront of climate activism are some of the most powerful voices to be heard regarding the crisis. These young activists are leaders in their communities, organizers and writers that have dedicated themselves to fighting for climate justice.
John Paul Jose
Activist John Paul Jose. Photo courtesy of John Paul Jose.
The 24 year old activist grew up in the coastal region of Kerala, India. Jose started his activism working with Greenpeace, an organization that aims to enact systemic change regarding the climate. From there, Jose started organizing strikes and facilitating discussions around climate change in India.The young activist also served as a youth ambassador for the High Seas Alliance. The alliance brings together various NGOs and activists to push for ocean conservation on a large scale. Jose also spoke at the TED Climate Summit that took place in October 2020. The summit was streamed to the public and featured speakers ranging from celebrities to scientists to dedicated activists like Jose.
2. Greta Thunberg
It is no surprise that Greta Thunberg is on this list. Thunberg has been an extremely influential climate activist since 2018, when she was just 15 years old. Thunberg started protesting the Swedish Parliament by skipping school and sitting outside the parliament building, leading up to the election. This was the start of the now global Fridays For Future campaign, a youth-led movement that organizes climate strikes and activists around the world. Thunberg is one of the most prominent voices in climate activism today, earning her a spot to speak at the 2019 UN Climate Crisis Summit, where she boldly told older generations they were complacent in addressing the climate crisis.
3. Holly Gillibrand
Holly Gillibrand started participating in the Friday school strikes started by Thunberg when she was just 13. Residing in Scotland, the activist has made an effort to personally reduce her own carbon footprint, and believes that missing school demonstrates that the climate crisis is a serious concern for young people. Gillibrand is now an organizer for the Fridays for Future Scotland organization, and continues to be a powerful voice in the United kingdom regarding climate change.
4. Mitzi Jonelle Tan
Mitzi Jonelle Tan is a 27 year old climate activist who serves for both Fridays For Future and Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines. The Philippines is one of the most vulnerable countries towards the effects of climate change, and is considered the second most dangerous country for climate activists like Tan. Starting in 2021, Tan joined the campaign against Standard Chartered, a bank that heavily funded the coal industry. In September of 2021, the bank announced it would stop corporate loans to the coal industry, but this wasn’t enough for Tan and fellow activists. The activists hosted a fake press conference posing as leaders of the bank. The prank was meant to illustrate Standard Chartered’s harm to the climate and push back against the bank’s attempt to spin a positive image for itself.
5. Leah Namugerwa
Activist Leah Namugerwa. Photo Courtesy of Leah Namugerwa
The 21 year old activist is determined to fight deforestation in Uganda and has been dedicated to planting trees for years, planting 500 for her 16th birthday alone. Namugerwa is also the founder of the Fridays For Future Uganda campaign, and is leading other students to participate in climate activism. She believes that Uganda should agree to the Paris Agreement to recognize climate change as a serious issue.
6. Eyal Weintraub
Eyal Weintraub posing. @eyalwein. Instagram
The 22 year old activist from Argentina is the founder of the Youth for Climate Argentina movement. Weintraub is passionate about discussing how privilege plays a role in climate justice, stating that climate change “affects in much greater numbers those already socially vulnerable”. Additionally, Weintraub wants the Argentinian government to take significant action towards climate change, especially to tackle specific problems that affect those in poverty.
7. Xiye Bastida
The young activist has an impressive list of accomplishments at just 23. Raised in San Pedro Tultepec outside of Mexico City, Bastia grew up appreciating nature, being raised in her father’s Otemi-Toltec culture. Bastida is now based in New York City and is a leader of the Fridays for Future movement. Additionally, Bastida is a coordinator for the Re-Earth Initiative. In 2018, she was invited to speak at the United Nations World Urban Forum. Basidia moved to New York City when she was 12 years old with her family after flooding forced them to leave their hometown in Mexico. Bastida then started the Fridays For Future chapter in New York City, and is passionate about climate justice.
Dana Flynn
Dana is a recent graduate from Tufts University with a degree in English. While at Tufts she enjoyed working on a campus literary magazine and reading as much as possible. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, she loves to explore and learn new things.