3 Young Climate Activists Inspired by Greta Thunberg

NEWS | September 15, 2020

Sweden's Greta Thunberg launched her first school strike in 2018. Since then, the high-schooler and Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience laureate, who's still just 17 years old, has kept calling on governments to respect climate agreements. Representing a new generation of young people who are advocating for better protection of our planet, she's an inspiration to adolescents all over the world. Here, a portrait of three young activists taking a page out of her book.  

Ralyn Satidtanasarn, 12, takes on plastic bags in Thailand

Ralyn, who also goes by Lilly, is going after the plastic and other waste that's invaded Bangkok. The idea came to her when she was 8 and on vacation at one of the numerous beach spots in Thailand, the world's sixth largest contributor to ocean pollution. Her association Bye Bye Plastic Bags Thailand organizes large-scale waste pick-up sessions. With her mother's help, this Thai-American pre-teen has also been able to convince a large supermarket to stop giving out plastic bags one day of the week.

Leah Namugerwa, 16, fighting deforestation in Uganda 

To celebrate her fifteenth birthday last year, Uganda's Leah Namugerwa planted 200 trees. The goal? To raise awareness about the damage caused by deforestation in her country. Leah is originally from Mukono, a district in which forests have been destroyed by the extension of the nation's capital, Kampala. Between going to school and demonstrations, the young activist also travels to different capitals across the African continent in order to sensitize people to the importance of the region's ecology. On top of all this, she's also an active member of the Fridays for Future movement founded by Greta Thunberg.

José Adolfo, 14, founder of a green bank in Peru

With his female peers leading the struggle for climate change, José Adolfo Quisocala Condori knows he's in good company. When he was 7, the young genius founded the Banco Cooperativo del Estudiante Bartselana, a bank that gives kids the chance to dispose of waste at collection points so that they can then be sold to recycling businesses. The money earned is then distributed to participants' accounts. The goal is to get a head start in educating young Peruvians to instinctively care for their environment. In 2018 the project was awarded Unicef's Children's Climate Prize. Today, the bank counts 2,000 members aged 7 to 18, and allows for the recycling of around fifty tons of waste per year. Indeed, since the organization's founding, recycling has become one of Peru's top priorities.