15 Pioneers Who Have Pledged to Fight for Our Planet

A revolution which started in 1970 in the US has now transformed into a global celebration. The entire world will be celebrating “World Earth Day” on 22nd April. There will be conferences, seminars, rallies, and much more throughout the globe. We are sure that even you would be sharing at least one story. On the contrary, 23rd April will be like any other day.

Most people would be continuing with their mundane tasks the next day, leaving the planet in its original peril. However, there is going to be a small group of people who will continue their fight. These people have been fighting for long to sustain our planet and have no plans to stop. They know that the crisis is near.

The recent water crisis of 2018 in Cape Town, South Africa, proved that to us when there was a severe water shortage. The municipal water supplies were totally shut. The Earth Overshoot Day, the calendar date on which humanity’s resource consumption for that year exceeds the Earth’s capacity to regenerate those resources, has advanced to 1st August.

The good news is that more people are realizing this threat and coming forward. From eminent personalities like Bill Gates to school-going kids like Greta Thunberg, people from various sectors are coming forward to help Mother Earth. Who are they? Have a look.

1. Bill Gates

Through their “Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation”, Bill and his wife have been working on developing solutions to the problem of climate change. Whether it’s the advancement of technologies or the proper utilization of resources, they have been spreading out-of-the-box awareness.

2. Boyan Slat

An aerospace engineer, Boyan founded “The Ocean CleanUp”, a company with an aim to clean our oceans of plastic. Their product, known as System 001, is expected to clean 50% of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

3. Russell Meir

Russell is another entrepreneur who is providing solutions to the plastic problem. Russell is spreading the idea of “Ecobricks”, which utilizes waste plastic bottles and other non-biodegradable stuff to make bricks which in turn can be used to build structures.

4. Angela Merkel

The German Chancellor has been hailed as “Climate Chancellor” many times. A strong climate advocate, she was one of the few leaders behind the Kyoto Protocol of 1997. Under her, Germany plans to increase the share of renewable electricity to 50%.

5. Nikolaj-Coster Waldau

The Danish actor, who is also a UNDP Goodwill Ambassador, is working with agencies to spread awareness about the melting of our glaciers. Under UNDP Programme, he has worked in Greenland and Maldives.

6. Rajendra Singh

He is known as the “Waterman of India” and has won awards like Magsaysay Award and Stockholm Water Prize. Rajendra Singh imparts water management skills to villagers. He has helped in bringing back water to over 1,000 villages and has revived 5 rivers in Rajasthan.

7. Afroz Shah

Afroz Shah led the “World’s Larget Beach Clean-Up” at the Versova Beach, Mumbai in 2015. The team managed to clear more than 50,000 kg of waste. Now, Versova looks like one of the most beautiful beaches.

8. Greta Thunberg

Greta is just a 16-year old girl from Sweden who convinced children all over the country to boycott school and strike for climate change actions. Her activism gained worldwide attraction and she was a speaker at COP24. The Swedish Parliament has also nominated her for the Nobel Peace Prize later this year.

9. Richard Branson

The well-known founder of the Virgin Group has come forward to fight for the marine environment. He has established various initiatives and continuously spreads awareness.

10. Paul Watson

Paul is a Canadian environmental activist who has been working to save whales. He has been criticized by many for his aggressive approaches but this modern-day Robin Hood believes that strict steps need to be taken to protect the species. We need people like Paul.

11. Sir David Attenborough

The world-famous broadcaster of BBC wildlife shows, Sir David Attenborough is a leader spreading awareness about protecting our environment and wildlife species. According to him, our current concerns should be species getting extinct and the rising population.

12. Narayana Peesapaty

This entrepreneur from Telangana, India is trying to curb the plastic cutlery waste by manufacturing edible cutlery. His company makes cutlery using rice, wheat, and millet to make spoons thus reducing waste to zero.

13. Amory Lovins

An energy reduction pioneer, Amory Lovins dreams of a world where cars produce no emissions and the parked vehicles produce enough energy to drive factories.

14. Robin Murray

He is the man who coined the phrase “Zero Waste”. Robin believes that someone’s waste can be utilized by another.

15. Maureen Sigauke

Founder of Green Active Citizens Trust in Zimbabwe, Maureen Sigauke believes that the young generation should lead this war against climate change as they are large in number and also tech-savvy.

These people have devoted their lives to Mother Earth but they cannot fight alone. The constant support of masses is always needed to turn small steps into big revolutions. So it’s time that you get up and do your bit. Stop wasting water, stop using plastic stuff, and recycle more. There’s a lot you can do.