INTRODUCTION
Young people worldwide have taken it upon themselves to spearhead environmental activism and advocate for climate change. 19-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg took the world by storm in 2018 when she started a school strike campaign called Fridays For Future, resulting in protests worldwide on an almost weekly basis in 2019. Thunberg’s activism proved to be a spark that has inspired a passion for environmental activism in young people, including South African Romario Valentine and Ugandan Vanessa Nakate, both eco-warriors who are making notable contributions to the climate change effort.
Romario Valentine Proves You’re Never Too Young to Make a Difference
As of September 2022, 11-year-old Valentine has organised 236 beach clean-ups, is a published author and has raised over R50 000 towards bird rehabilitation/conservation in Durban and the Western Cape, South Africa. The self-titled ‘earth guardian’ and artist started his journey in environmental activism at just six years old.
After learning about orcas and discovering that they are an endangered species, the Durban native began his mission to rescue species of animals at risk of going extinct, both on and off the land. His book, “Protect Our Planet – Take Action with Romario”, was released in September and is an academic children’s book that aims to teach young nature enthusiasts about environmental topics such as why forestation is important and the problem with plastic and renewable sources.
Through his noble and significant effort to make his community and the world better, Valentine has proven that age is not a factor when one is determined to make a change.
“We cannot eat coal, we cannot drink oil,” – Vanessa Nakate
25-year-old Ugandan-born eco-warrior Vanessa Nakate caught the world’s attention in 2020 after she was cropped out of a press photo by the Associated Press (AP) that included fellow climate change activist Greta Thunberg, taken at the World Economic Forum.
This incident caused a stir on social media that led to the AP being accused of racism as Nakate was the only African in the picture and the only person cropped out. Fortunately, the young woman used that publicity to advocate for more exposure of the efforts being made by Africans towards environmental change, which allowed her to inspire more young people in her country to speak out about how climate change is affecting them.
In “A Bigger Picture: My fight to bring a new African voice to the climate crisis”, Nakate highlights how despite bearing the brunt of global warming through droughts and floods, the Global South is marginalised in conversations about climate change; through her activism, she hopes to bring more attention to how damaging climate change is to East Africa.
As the world begins to feel the devastating effects of global warming, more people are compelled to fight for the planet’s future, and despite what the media may show, African youth are at the forefront.
