Environment

Unsplash | Public Domain

ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENDERS & ACTIVISTS - Fighting For Our Planet At All Costs

Discover the inspiring work of environmental champions and learn how we can all actively protect our fragile planet. Our guide highlights dedicated eco-defenders - from David Attenborough and Jane Goodall to Greta Thunberg and Jadav Payeng - raising global awareness about climate crises and biodiversity loss.

Connect with hundreds of valuable resources, initiatives, and organisations offering actionable solutions for genuine species conservation, habitat protection, and renewable energy.

Jump straight to our resources on ➡️ Environmental Defenders

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General Information

Our environment encompasses everything around us. From the atmosphere above, the soil below, the water in our oceans and rivers, the air we breathe, and every living thing.

For many years, scientists have understood the enormous pressure that humans are putting on our environment. Our planet is changing faster than plants and animals can adapt.

We must shift to a more sustainable way of life, stop the cycle of endless exploitation, and respect the true value of our planet's nature.

In the last 160 years, humans have produced 2.3 trillion tons of harmful greenhouse gas emissions. This has disrupted critical climate systems and is increasing the frequency of extreme weather events such as heatwaves, hurricanes, drought, and flooding.

The Planetary Boundaries Framework, developed by the Stockholm Resilience Centre, measures human pressure on nine critical Earth systems that support life on the planet, such as biosphere integrity, freshwater use, and pollution.

As of September 2025, we officially crossed 7 of the 9 Planetary Boundaries, significantly increasing the risk of abrupt, potentially irreversible environmental change.

Never before has the planet, its ecosystems, and all the life on it been under such pressure.

Statista | CC BY-ND 4.0

Environmental defenders can be ordinary people, local communities, indigenous people on the frontlines of climate change, scientists, climate change experts, professors, politicians, journalists, lawyers, movie stars, and even schoolchildren.

As these courageous people are standing up against the harmful activities of fossil fuel companies, giant financial institutions, illegal loggers, wildlife poachers, chemical companies, powerful corporate entities, corrupt authorities, and other destructive industries, they often face serious risks.

According to Global Witness, in 2024, at least 146 land and environmental defenders were killed or disappeared globally. Latin America accounts for the highest number of deaths, making it the deadliest region for activists.

Hundreds of others face severe intimidation, threats, violence, false criminal charges, imprisonment, kidnappings, intense surveillance and online censorship, and restrictions on the right to protest.

Better World Info’s Top Environmental Champions

• David Attenborough (UK) -

With a career spanning more than 7 decades, Sir David Attenborough continues to drive conservation efforts, raise awareness, and influence environmental policy. His landmark series ‘Blue Planet’ and ‘Planet Earth‘ brought the beauty of nature into millions of homes alongside his message of the urgent need for conservation.

In his feature film ‘A Life on Our Planet’, Attenborough gave a chilling account of biodiversity loss and climate change. His work has led to policy changes in plastic pollution, single-use plastic, species extinction, action on carbon emissions, renewable energy, and reducing meat consumption.

He is a lifelong supporter of the WWF, World Land Trust, the Wildlife Trusts, Fauna & Flora, Butterfly Conservation, Wildscreen, the RSPB, and the National Trust.

Flickr | SOA Watch

• Berta Cáceres (Honduras) -

Cáceres was one of Honduras's most prominent human rights and environmental defenders and a leader in the Lenca indigenous community. She fought long campaigns against destructive megaprojects and multinational corporations, including building dams, setting up mining projects, and carrying out illegal logging - all of which were displacing rural communities and polluting their lands.

She co-founded the National Council of Popular and Indigenous Organisations of Honduras, and was on the front lines of indigenous defence. Her work gained her the wrong type of attention in a country known for silencing activists by any means available. She began receiving serious threats to her life, most of which came from the energy company Desarrollos Energeticos SA, which at the time was planning a new hydroelectric project on the Gualcarque River.

In 2015, she was awarded the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize for "a grassroots campaign that successfully pressured the world's largest dam builder to pull out of the Agua Zarca Dam."

Just one year later, she was murdered by hired hitmen in her own home.

"Wherever the struggle is... there is one thing in common: the voracity of the transnational corporations and the ambition of these non-persons who govern us who give away to business the richnesses that belong to everyone." - Betha Cáceres

Wikimedia | Anders Hellberg

• Greta Thunberg (Sweden) -

Greta began her environmental and climate activism at just 15. By sitting outside the Swedish parliament building in Stockholm holding a sign that said ‘School Strike For Climate’, she sparked a global movement now known as Fridays For Future.

Students around the world skipped school every Friday to protest against climate inaction and fight for a better future. The strikes lasted almost two years and only lost momentum because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The March 15 global strike attracted 1.4 million participants, and the September 20–27 Global Week for Future saw the participation of a huge 7.6 million students.

Since then, she has addressed world leaders at the global climate summits (COPs), the World Economic Forum in Davos, and various other national parliaments. She has authored two books which became international best-sellers.

Thunberg has been detained by the police at least 11 times for her activism.

She has received numerous prestigious prizes including the Right Livelihood Award, Amnesty International's Ambassador of Conscience Award, the International Children's Peace Prize, the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity, and was named Time Person of the Year.

As an outspoken pro-Palestine activist, Thunberg has been actively involved in multiple flotillas attempting to break Israel's naval blockade of the Gaza Strip and deliver much-needed aid to the region.

Although her activism has expanded to include human rights, peace, and social justice, she remains steadfast in her commitment to forcing world leaders to act upon the advice of climate scientists.

Jadav Payeng, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

• Jadav Payeng (India) -

Jadav ‘Molai’ Payeng, or the "Forest Man of India," is a remarkable environmentalist whose dedication to reforestation has transformed a barren sandbar into a thriving forest ecosystem.

Over several decades, Payeng single-handedly planted and nurtured trees on Majuli Island, Assam, a state in northeast India. The result is a lush sanctuary spanning over 1,300 acres.

His efforts have not only combated soil erosion but also provided a habitat for wildlife, including elephants, tigers, and rhinoceroses.

Starting with just twenty bamboo seedlings on a sandbar of the river Brahmaputra, he continues to nurture the plants to this day. Payeng's story is a testament to the power of individual action in the face of environmental degradation.

The innovative solutions he developed have garnered international recognition for their role in the fight against climate change, and his inspirational story inspired the children’s book, "Jadav and the Tree Place.”

Payeng’s journey has been integrated into school curricula across the United States and beyond as a compelling ecology lesson.

In recognition of his extraordinary efforts, he was awarded India’s fourth-highest civilian honour, the Padma Shri, in 2015. In 2020 was also awarded the ‘Commonwealth Point of Light’ by the Government of the United Kingdom. Most recently, in 2025, the Jyoti Prasad Trust established the ‘Jadav Payeng International Award’ in his honour.

Jadav Payeng's story teaches us that environmental transformation does not always start with grand policy changes or massive funding. In some cases, it begins with just one person planting a seed and nurturing a dream that never dies.

U.S. Department of State | Public Domain

• Jane Goodall (UK) -

Goodall is best known for her work studying chimpanzee behaviour in Tanzania's Gombe Stream National Park, where, at just 26 and with no formal qualifications, she spent an initial 15 years observing chimpanzees in their natural habitat.

Her 60 years of study uncovered groundbreaking discoveries, which she coupled with conservation and activism not just for chimpanzees but also for environmental education, climate change, youth empowerment, and her inspirational message of hope.

Goodall's work also paved the way for other women in primatology, conservation, and science. She broke through barriers and showed the world that women, too, can pursue their passions in traditionally male-dominated fields.

Founded in 1977, the Jane Goodall Institute was established to continue her research and expand chimpanzee protection efforts. It has since grown into a global nonprofit dedicated to conserving all wildlife and the environment.

Over decades of work, she founded chimpanzee sanctuaries and established programmes to tackle poverty and support sustainable livelihoods. In 2004, then Secretary-General Kofi Annan named her a UN Messenger for Peace for her work creating a more peaceful world.

Even at 90, Goodall travelled 300 days a year to spread her message of hope through action. In her final message to the world, in an interview released shortly after her passing, she said she would like to launch Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and Benjamin Netanyahu on a one-way trip into space.

Beyond her scientific contributions, Goodall is a global beacon for conservation, peace, sustainability, and protecting our planet's biodiversity.

"Here we are, arguably the most intelligent being that ever walked planet Earth, with this extraordinary brain, yet we're destroying the only home we have." - Jane Goodall.

World Future Council | GNU Free Documentation License

• Jakob von Uexküll (Germany) -

Jakob von Uexküll is the Swedish-born founder of the Right Livelihood Award and World Future Council. He is the son of the celebrated author and journalist Gösta von Uexküll and the grandson of the famous German biologist Jakob Johann von Uexküll.

His steadfast commitment to the environment, justice, and peace has earned him numerous awards, including the Time Magazine European Hero Award. Over the years, he has been a member of the European Parliament (1987-89) and also served on the Political Affairs Committee and the UNESCO Commission on Human Duties and Responsibilities. He has also served on various boards, including Greenpeace Germany and is a writer, lecturer, philanthropist, and activist.

After noticing the disconnection between pressing global challenges and the decision-makers in charge of solving them, in 1979, Uexküll approached the Nobel Foundation with the idea of creating two new Nobel Prizes - environmental and knowledge. His idea was rejected.

To date, the RLA has celebrated, supported, and protected some of the world's most courageous and inspiring people for 45 years.

Founded in 2007, the World Future Council was established to safeguard future generations' rights by promoting sustainable and equitable solutions worldwide. It brings together a diverse group of global experts who focus on policy advocacy to address critical issues such as climate change, renewable energy, and social justice.

The council consists of 50 outstanding members of civil society, science, politics, and business, all innovators and visionaries in their fields. They meet annually at the World Future Forum to discuss global challenges and solutions that help shape policies worldwide.

The World Future Policy Award is the world's leading prize for policy solutions. It is often referred to as the "Oscar for best policies," as it annually celebrates and showcases the most visionary and effective laws that help advance the WFC vision.

Flickr | Orionpozo

• Rachel Carson (USA) -

Marine Biologist Carson is best known for her 1962 book ‘Silent Spring’. It was highly controversial because it directly challenged the powerful chemical industry, accusing it of deliberately spreading false information about the ‘safety’ of its products. She also accused government officials of failing to independently conduct safety checks on the industry.

For the first time, the public was made aware of the dangers of indiscriminate pesticide use and the harm it causes to insects, birds, animals, and humans.

The industry attempted to discredit her and the science, labelling her a hysterical bird-loving woman.

Her book swayed public opinion and led to widespread objection to DDT in particular. Her work led to tighter controls on pesticide usage, a nationwide ban on DDT, and the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency.

She is hailed by many as the pioneer of the modern global environmental movement.

Environmental Protection For A Better World

These inspiring individuals, and the thousands of other champions of our Earth, prove that one person's actions can make a huge difference.

The work of these dedicated environmental stewards has helped to shape modern conservation, grassroots action, climate policy, and given us hope that a better world is possible.

At their own personal expense, and under the threat of harassment, arrest, violence, and even death, they still stand up for our planet. Let them be an inspiration to all of us.

"The fact is that no species has ever had such wholesale control over everything on Earth, living or dead, as we now have. That lays upon us, whether we like it or not, an awesome responsibility." - David Attenborough.

Author: Rachael Mellor, 03.09.26, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0