By Jonah Kirabo
Vanessa Nakate, a young Ugandan climate activist, was on Tuesday honored at the inaugural Time CO2 Earth Awards ceremony for her inspiring work in the fight against climate change.
Nakate was one of five winners of the award, which recognizes individuals and organizations that are taking innovative approaches to reducing carbon emissions and combating global warming.
Nakate is perhaps best known for her role in the global Fridays for Future movement, which was started by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. Nakate began organizing climate strikes in her home country of Uganda in early 2019, and soon gained international recognition for her powerful voice and inspirational activism that calls for the urgent need to address the climate crisis.
In addition to her work with Fridays for Future, Nakate has also founded her own organization, the Rise Up Movement, which seeks to empower young people in Africa to take action on climate change. Through this organization, Nakate has organized workshops and climate strikes to raise awareness about the impacts of climate change on African communities, and to encourage young people to get involved in the fight against it.
Nakate’s efforts have not gone unnoticed, and she has been recognized with several other prestigious awards in recent years, including the United Nations’ Young Champions of the Earth award and the African Youth Climate Hub’s Green Hero award.
However, the Time CO2 Earth Award is a particularly significant honor, as it recognizes the importance of tackling carbon emissions specifically, which are the primary cause of global warming.
In her acceptance speech at the Time CO2 Earth Awards ceremony, Nakate emphasized the urgent need for action on climate change, particularly in Africa, where the impacts of climate change are already being felt acutely. “People living in vulnerable communities—particularly in the Global South—have done little if nothing to cause the climate crisis, and yet they are paying the ultimate price,” she said. “We need action. We need to stop all new fossil fuel development. This means no new coal, oil, and gas. At the same time, we need to immediately and massively scale up renewable energy, especially for the millions of people in the Global South who still do not have access to energy. And we need to do all of this starting right now.”
Nakate also called on governments and other institutions to do more to support young people and other activists who are working to address the climate crisis.
“Whatever you do in your daily lives, please help us do this. We need everyone,” she said. “I also want to be very clear about something else. This award is not just for me. In fact, it is not for me. It is for the millions of people around the world who are holding leaders accountable and calling for climate justice.”
The Time CO2 Earth Awards are an important recognition of the vital role that individuals and organizations can play in the fight against climate change.
By honoring activists like Vanessa Nakate, the awards encourage others to get involved and make a difference in their own communities.
Other honorees included U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, who in his position of power has refused to mince words on the urgency with which governments must act.
