The star of Elizabeth Wathuti, the Kenyan climate activist, has continued to shine brighter and is now attracting the attention of former Presidents globally alongside the leader of the free world.
On Wednesday, September 28, the activist was named among Time 100 Next, a global list of rising stars in different sectors spanning musicians, medical professionals, government officials, movement leaders, high-profile whistle-blowers as well as top CEOs.
“It is a great honor to be included in this year’s Time100 Next list. Today I especially wish to celebrate the tireless efforts of my friends in the global youth climate movement, who are also fighting every day for a safe future. Together, we are an unstoppable movement of millions, and we will not tire, we will make change happen.” celebrated the activist.
Wathuti was hailed by former Ireland President Mary Robinson as a most needed voice for the young people in the age of climate uncertainty.
She is the founder of Green Generation Initiative that encourages young people to love nature and encourages them to implement climate solutions.
"The climate crisis is an existential threat and a grave injustice that can feel insurmountable. Yet Elizabeth Wathuti’s rallying activism shows us that we all have the power to forge a safer and more sustainable future, if only we choose to.
"Her tenacious belief in our human capacity to do what is right should move and inspire us all. She demonstrates that climate action requires urgency, but that together we can—and must—create a better world," wrote Robinson.
In her address at the UN climate change conference in Glasgow in November 2021, Wathuti's impassioned speech swayed US President Joe Biden to defy his security.
In her recall in a later interview, she noted that the leader of the free world disregarded a signal from his security detail to leave while she was giving the address.
"I saw Biden’s security team trying to signal to the president that it was time to leave but he waved them off. He wanted to listen. Perhaps I had something he really needed to hear," she told the Guardian.
On the Time 100 Next list, she shares the platform alongside other megawatt stars such as SZA, Jack Hallow, Machine Gun Kelly.
Also on the list was Daniel Motaung, a South African national whose bravery kicked off a revolution to upend the pay of Meta's contracted workers.
He later filed a suit seeking to compel the social media giant review working conditions of all of its employees.
