Climate change is worsening, the future of our planet is in peril, and there’s not much we can do about it.

You’re not alone if you feel this way. According to a recent study by the Pew Research Center, just 27% of the public believes that “individual Americans can do a lot to reduce climate impacts.” And, just 11% believe that climate activism is “effective at getting elected officials to act on an issue.” 

There’s good reason to feel less than optimistic about the climate crisis. Data shows that human-induced climate change is accelerating at a frightening pace. According to NASA’s climate change hub, global temperatures have increased by 1.4 degrees and CO2 levels have reached 422 parts per million. 

The World Resources Institute says that we must slash global emissions in half by 2030 to avoid the worst effects of climate change. The global gloom and doom is enough to make anyone fall into the climate inaction trap.

But while climate change paralysis is real, so is the opportunity to make a difference. The successful climate activists profiled here prove that anyone can take climate action to create real change. 

Read on to learn about these inspiring environmental advocates — both well-known and under the radar — who are on the front lines of the climate crisis. These activists range from global coalitions and seasoned leaders to young people taking their first climate activism steps, and first-time petition starters. The inspiring achievements of these climate champions will empower you to start your own climate activism journey.  

Veteran climate justice warriors

These long-time environmental advocates have spent years fighting to mitigate climate change. From grade-schoolers to grandmas, this group of climate activists are helping create a more environmentally just and sustainable future around the world. They prove that no one is too young or too old to become part of the climate movement. 

Greta Thunberg 

One of the most recognizable faces in climate action, no list would be complete without Greta Thunberg. Some of her impressive accomplishments include inspiring the School Strike for Climate while still in elementary school, giving speeches to world leaders like the European Parliament and World Economic Forum, and creating The Climate Book. Her climate action has inspired millions to work toward climate solutions.

Cheryl Watson

In an under-resourced community on Chicago’s South Side, where power outages, flooding, and lack of medical facilities are common, Cheryl Watson advocates for her neighborhood. Recent wins include a new requirement that ties profits for the local public utility to their equity performance and better utility data transparency requirements.

Ghislaine Fandel

A Paris-based global climate activist, Fandel is working to safeguard the Big Cypress National Preserve, a tract in the Florida Everglades that’s currently an oil drilling target. Her Change.org petition currently has over 330,000 signatures, well on the way to her 550,000 goal. She also works to draw attention to global policy issues like the need to align the Energy Charter Treaty with the Paris Agreement.

Hazel Chandler

Nicknamed a “climate granny” by the media, Chandler, age 78, has become a powerful voice for the environment among older adults. Her work lobbying lawmakers for stronger environmental regulations, organizing Earth Day celebrations, and facilitating groups like Elder Climate Action and Moms Clean Air Force has inspired many older adults. She’s a powerful reminder that it’s never too late to use your voice for change.

Lamont Taylor

Inspired as a child by the death of civil rights leader Medgar Evers, this Texas-based climate activist has spent much of his life working for environmental justice. As a climate activist, Taylor fights to halt industry pollution in communities of color. He is currently organizing his community to halt plans for a desalination plant that could pollute Corpus Christi Bay.

Young climate activists

Using education, advocacy and community engagement, these inspiring young climate activists are taking on causes that range from climate justice to sustainable development.

Alex Rodriguez

An equity-based climate activist, Rodriguez focuses on climate resilience and environmental justice in his work with Save the Sound, an organization focused on protecting waterways and endangered ecosystems.

Ashia Ajani

Through the Mycelium Youth Network, Ajani educates youth about climate justice, teaching them about climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Irvin Rivero

With the non-profit group Acterra, Rivero works to increase equitable access to electric vehicle technology by educating the community about financial resources and incentives for EV adoption.

Jonshell Johnson

As the education coordinator for Grow Dat Youth Farm, Johnson works with youth to increase equity and access to healthy food while implementing culturally relevant and sustainable farming practices to address climate change.

Xóchítl Garcia 

An east-coast based community activist, Xóchítl’s goal is to educate people about climate change from an Indigenous communities perspective and foster inclusive spaces for communities of color to address climate change. She teaches urban farming with a focus on racial justice and traditional knowledge and leads youth-based environmental justice projects.

Organizations fighting climate change

Climate activism wins aren’t just limited to individuals – sometimes power comes from collective action. These groups and organizations are joining forces with other climate activists and leveraging the power of the community to fight for climate justice. 

350

Founded by environmental activist and author Bill McKibben, 350 (named for the earth’s safe level of atmospheric CO2) is a global coalition that’s building a powerful movement based on ordinary people taking action. From spearheading global campaigns against fossil fuels to recruiting the next generation of climate leaders, 350 addresses the climate crisis at all levels. The group led or supported over 300 climate activism campaigns last year, ranging from training local climate activists to taking on big oil and battling extraction of fossil fuels in Latin America and the global south. 

Friends of Zoar Valley and Zoar Valley Forest Watch

Zoar Valley Forest Watch is working to ensure that the Zoar Valley, an unspoiled wilderness area in New York State, retains protected status. It faces a logging company’s plans to clear-cut the forest, increasing greenhouse gas emissions and worsening the climate crisis. The group’s Change.org petition opposes the deforestation of the Zoar Valley, highlighting the impact it would have on climate change. It currently has almost 3,000 signatures.

Rise St. James

This grassroots organization (led by Goldman Environmental Prize winner and climate activist Sharon Lavigne) battles for environmental justice and human rights in St. James Parish, Louisiana. Nicknamed “Cancer Alley” because of its high levels of industry pollutants: industrial sites are concentrated throughout the region. The group recently successfully halted construction of a major plastic manufacturing facility and is currently battling another proposed plastics plant.

United for Climate Justice

This Netherlands-based organization is a global coalition of over 30 climate and social justice groups around the world. Currently coordinating the Stop Fossil Fuel Subsidies campaign, the group works on climate activism issues around the globe. Their current Change.org petition advocating against fossil fuels has garnered almost 2,000 signatures. 

The Sunrise Movement

Beginning with their 2018 U.S. House of Representatives sit-in, this group of youth activists has created a powerful voice for themselves, mobilizing young climate activists across the country and around the world to battle climate change. From advocating for the Inflation Reduction Act to conceptualizing the newly established American Climate Corps, they have become a powerful force for change.

Change.org activists fighting the climate crisis

These grassroots environmental justice seekers have taken on a cause and are working to create climate solutions. Their victories prove that anyone can make a difference. 

Kara Conrey

A real estate agent in Ellijay, Georgia, Conrey is working to stop a new energy-intensive cryptocurrency mining facility that will contribute to global warming. Her Change.org petition has garnered over 1,300 signatures to date and is drawing visibility to the issue and motivating her community to speak up.

Erik Chavez

This change-maker started a Change.org petition to halt the deceptively named Great Outdoors Initiative. The initiative could deforest and destroy a swath of the Florida ecosystem to make way for golf courses and other developments and worsen climate change. Achieving over 1,000 signatures, his petition helped inspire groups like One Protest to take action on the issue. 

Sarah Hassinger

This Bristol, Pennsylvania activist took climate action on a chemical spill that impacted her hometown’s drinking water. Her Change.org petition has over 50,000 signatures and is helping raise awareness about ongoing water contamination issues.  

Sonny Ahk

This youthful Iñuipat is one of the climate activists who fought to halt Alaska’s controversial Willow oil and gas development project. His Change.org petition gained well over five million signatures and helped motivate President Joe Biden to scale back the Willow project by almost 40%.

Nicole Delma

In Sag Harbor, New York, Delma, a local business owner, was appalled by the amount of plastic waste she received, so she took climate action. With almost 785,000 supporters, her victorious Change.org petition motivated Amazon to commit to reducing plastic packaging around the world. 

Anyone can change the world

Whether individually or as a collective, these climate activists prove that anyone, anywhere, can take on a cause or challenge and make a difference. Whether you want to put a stop to pollution in local waters or advocate for climate equity in the global south, the tools and support to help advocate for your climate justice cause are just a click away. Now is the time to take action.

As the inimitable Greta Thunberg said: “When enough people come together, then change will come and we can achieve almost anything. So instead of looking for hope—start creating it.” 

Want to create change in your community or around the world? Take the first step and start a petition on Change.org.