Prepare to feel both inspired and slightly underachieving. Six environmental activists, all women, from six different continents, are about to be honored with the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize — often dubbed the "Green Nobel." And for the first time in the prize's history, every single recipient is a woman. Let that satisfying number sink in.
These are not your garden-variety activists. These are the people who make things happen. We're talking about the woman who saved a rare bat in Nigeria, the one who strong-armed South Korea into setting more ambitious climate goals, and the force of nature who halted an oil drilling project in the U.K. Another made a mining company actually clean up its toxic mess in Papua New Guinea (a feat in itself), while others blocked a massive mine in Alaska and prevented fracking in Colombia. Because apparently, that's where we are now: women are literally saving the world, one ecological disaster at a time.
John Goldman, from the Goldman Environmental Foundation, pointed out that these leaders are everywhere, which is a nice thought to hold onto. He also expressed his excitement about this historic all-female lineup, underscoring their absolutely critical role in environmental efforts globally. Which, if you think about it, is both impressive and slightly terrifying that it took this long for an all-female sweep.
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Start Your News DetoxThe winners will be celebrated in San Francisco on April 20th. Vanessa Hauc will host, Caminos Flamencos will perform, and the whole thing will be livestreamed, in case you need a dose of real-world heroism. It’s a good reminder that while the planet might be a bit of a mess, there are still people out there doing the actual, hard work of cleaning it up.
