Earth Day: Young leaders advocate for change

Teen climate activist Greta Thunburg has become a household name, and for good reason. But she’s not the only young person lifting her voice to demand meaningful change. Around the world, young leaders are fighting to protect the wild places we love—and the future of our planet.

Following Greta’s lead, more young activists launched school strikes on behalf of climate change. Local strikes in Sweden grew and soon became an international campaign, with more than 14 million strikers calling for change in more than 7,500 cities around the globe. These Fridays for our Future strikes have redefined the world’s perception about the power of young people.

On the West Coast of the U.S., a group of kids in bright red t-shirts with determined looks on their faces storms a beach collecting trash. The result of their work over the years? More than 29,000 pounds of garbage collected by more than 8,100 volunteers. And in national parks across the country, more than 5,000 kids and teens have stepped up to sign petitions to save park lands.

These young activists have a deep connection to nature that likely, in part, helps drive their activism. Research shows that when kids spemd time in nature, they learn to love the natural world and strive to protect it. 

This Earth Day, we are honored to share the inspiring voices and activism of young leaders around the world. They give us great hope for the future.

Photo by Robin Loznak for Our Children’s Trust

VIC BARRETT is a 21-year-old climate activist. As a Fellow with the Alliance for Climate Education, he spoke at the COP21 UN Conference on Climate Change. He is also a youth plaintiff in the landmark climate justice case, Juliana V United States.

“As soon as I learned about climate justice and the way that climate change disproportionately impacts certain people, I put it into the context of my own life. I was like, ‘Well, I’m young and I’m Latinx and I’m Black and I’m queer and I’m a first-generation American. This is something that really affects a lot of the identities that I hold and a lot of people like me.’ And I just couldn’t ignore it after that.” —From Our Climate Voices, 2019. 

Photo from the MicroActivist Foundation website

CONNOR BERRYHILL is a 14-year-old organizer whose passion for oceans inspired him to organize beach cleanups. He was the first MicroActivist and has since recruited more than 8,100 volunteers to support beach clean up efforts on the West Coast of the U.S. 

“We are here because our ocean needs us. Cleaning up all our world’s oceans, that’s a bit more complicated. More hands are required…I’ve learned that there are other young minds right now learning to love this ocean just as much as I do. It’s simple really. I just show them the beauty I see and then they are hooked.”

Photo from Kids Speak for Parks 

ROBBIE BOND, 13 years old, founded Kids Speak for Parks to advocate on behalf of U.S. national parks and public lands. Robbie is an active member of the children and nature movement.

“I teach kids that they have a voice and that their voice matters. I go to schools across the country. My goal is to inspire them to become spokespeople for the national parks and to spread the word about why these beautiful places need to be protected.”

Photo from @GenesisButlerV Twitter profile

GENESIS BUTLER, 15 years old, is an animal rights and environmental activist and the youngest person to give a TEDx talk. She is the great-grandniece to farmers rights activist Cesar Chavez. 

“I love [being vegan] because I know I am helping animals and the Earth, too. So let’s help the Earth and all living beings put on the planet by making conscious choices about the food that we eat and let the healing begin.”  

Photo by Rebecca Hale for National Geographic 

JEROME FOSTER II, 19 years old, is an American climate change activist and the youngest member of President Biden’s White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council. Foster is the executive director of OneMillionOfUs, an international youth voting and advocacy organization. 

“I remember being 5 years old, watching a documentary about climate change with my family. I’d look around at them and say, ‘Hey, are you guys hearing this? Shouldn’t we be doing something?’ Right now, I’m just trying to find the right message, figure out what resonates with people.Too many of us still don’t seem to understand the scale, scope and speed of the changes that the climate crisis is causing.” —As quoted in The Washington Post

By Fibonacci Blue, Minnesota, USA, licensed by CC BY 2.0  

IRSA HIRSI, an 18-year-old climate activist, co-founded and served as the co-executive director of the U.S. Youth Climate Strike. She was named to Fortune’s 2020 40 Under 40 Government & Politics list. 

“All of these experiences taught me that it is so important to make sure that those that are disproportionately affected by climate change be at the forefront of the issue, advocating for ourselves and our communities.” —As quoted by grist.org

Photo by Mitch Pittman 

JAMIE MARGOLIN, 20 years old, is a Colombian-American climate justice activist. She serves as the co-executive director of Zero Hour.

“A lot of young people can’t vote yet … they don’t hold the political power in terms of office and don’t hold all these other things. The power that we do have is to shift the needle towards change by shifting the culture, because culture shifts cause shifts in law.” —As quoted on the ClimateOne podcast.

Photo by World Economic Forum licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

AUTUMN PELTIER, 17 years old, is an Anishinaabe Indigenous clean water advocate from the Wiikwemkoong First Nation in Ontario, Canada.  

“We all have a right to water as we need it – not just rich people, all people. No one should have to worry if the water is clean or if they will run out of water…We need to work together. Now is the time to warrior up and empower each other to take a stand for our planet.” —From Autumn’s  2018 address to the UN General Assembly on the issue of water protection.”

Photo from @AlexandriaV2005 Twitter profile  

ALEXANDRIA VILLASEÑOR, 16 years old, is an American climate activist, co-founder of US Youth Climate Strike and founder of Earth Uprising.  

“My message to you today is a message of urgency. We children need you to urgently act on climate change. All around the world, children are the most affected by climate change. More than adults.”  —From a speech at UNICEF in 2019

Ways to support youth climate action:

1. Know the Research. Studies show that connection to nature encourages environmental stewardship. Infographic | Research
   
   
2. Get kids outside! Help the young people in your life connect to nature and the outdoors. C&NN’s Family Nature Club Toolkit can help you get started!
3. Lift up kids’ voices. Encourage children and teens to share their visions for a just and nature-filled world. The Children & Nature Network is accepting submissions of art, poetry and creative writing for the online NATURE FUTURE exhibit. Submissions will be accepted through May 20. Learn more and submit artwork today.

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