Who Should We Be Listening To?
The Influencers Exciting Gen Z About Climate and Environmental Action
Post Cop26, a key takeaway that was blindingly obvious was that we should be listening to young people, the switched-on voices of the future. Greta's lack of fear in taking on leaders from across the globe has turned her into a household name.
Still, more voices are coming into the forefront, so we thought it would be an excellent time to shine a spotlight on these activists and representatives of the future.
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Tori Tsui, 27, is a Bristol-based intersectional climate justice activist and organiser, speaker, writer and mental health advocate from Hong Kong and New Zealand
Tori has a large social media following (40k on IG and 3.5k on Twitter), providing updates on events, stories and commentaries, relating to environmentalists’ successes and the opposition’s injustices.
She encourages audiences to foster an investigative stance towards media, particularly those forwarded by organisations seeking social licensing through the guise of green campaigning.
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Luisa Neubauer: 25-year-old geographer, "activist and member of the German environmentalist Green Party. She has become the German face of the "Fridays for Future" climate protection rallies
With a following of approximately 330k on Instagram and Twitter, Luisa’s involvement with “Fridays for Future” rallies places her in a position of influence regarding Gen Zs, as they encourage youth to take action. In addition, she has drawn attention to how national and international climate conferences and agreements have been misleading in the past, creating the impression that everything is under control, which deters necessary climate action.
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Vic Barrett: 21, Honduran-American student
Vic gained attention for involvement with twenty other young people in Juliana v. versus U.S. climate change lawsuit, demanding the government hold themselves accountable for climate problems. This act of partaking in the lawsuit places Vic in a favourable position for other people of his age group to take action, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, as growing climate turbulence hits this demographic the hardest.
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Nadia Whittome: 25, Member of the British Labour Party
Nadia is a forerunner in the U.K.’s climate political sphere, having led the first-ever climate debate in Parliament. Nadia raises concerns around the lack of climate change education in schools, a vital topic of discussion and one which most young people support. In addition, she can bring other activists and their activities to the attention of the British public, such as Nakabuye Hilda Flavia.
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Nakabuye Hilda Flavia: 24, Ugandan, Founder @Fridays4FutureU, "Climate and Environmental Rights Activist because we are humans who don't deserve to suffer a crisis we didn't create."
Nakabuye has first-hand experience of crisis, including unpredictable conditions threatening subsistence. She explains how climate change is not properly understood in Uganda, where climate events are attributed to Godly activity.
Nakabuye is working to generate more racial diversity in global climate change movements and encourage African women to try and get their voices listened to, something Nakabuye struggled with when approaching male teachers with concerns on climate change.
