More Environmental Leaders identified
by TIME magazine
In addition
to the Christian Evangelical climatologist Katharine Hayhoe regarded as a “Pioneer”
among TIME’s “100 Most Influential People” cover story of May 5/May 12 (noted
in this column last month), these others are noted:
TITANS
Tony Fadell,
45, CEO of NestLab, is combining design, engineering and entrepreneurship to
create “smarter homes.”
Aliko
Dangote, 57, businessman/activist is “doing well and doing good for Africa” as
an advocate for agricultural research, malaria control, and leadership on polio
and other diseases.
Ertharin
Cousin, 56, from Chicago, is an advocate with a goal to eradicate hunger in our
lifetime as she heads the United Nations World Food Programme, bringing food to
more than 100 million people worldwide yearly.
PIONEERS
Kathryn
Sullivan, 62, former astronaut, is the scientist/new administrator of NOAA (the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and thus “the world’s
weatherwoman.” With the planet suffering
increasingly severe upheavals, at least partly a result of climate change
(droughts, floods, typhoons, tornadoes, etc.) she is “the right person for the
right job at the right time” according to John Glenn.
Tom Steyer,
56, an investor/environmentalist/fundraiser is seen as a “green game changer”. His group, “NextGen Climate” mobilizes young
voters, politicians and candidates for office to ensure that facts, not
anti-science climate denial, have a better chance to be heard. He is also profiled in a two-page article,
entitled “Green Giant” in the June 2 issue of TIME.
Jack Ma, 49,
chairs the Nature Conservancy’s China program.
ARTISTS
Barbara
Brown Taylor, 62, author and Episcopal preacher is seen as a “centering voice
in the wilderness”. Her latest book, Learning
to Walk in the Dark, helps in strengthening our “mental environment”.
Yao Chen,
34, is a romance comedy actress with more than 66 million followers on the
Chinese Weibo blog, where she writes about the disturbing by-products of the
epic economic rise in China.
LEADERS
John Kerry,
70, U.S. Secretary of State, is said to have a commitment to address the dangers
posed by climate change that is long-standing.
Jerry Brown,
76, Governor of California is cited as a wise steward of the state’s resources,
focused on overhauling its broken water system, supporting America’s largest
agricultural economy, and fighting climate change.
ICONS
Pope
Francis, 77, Roman Catholic Pontiff, chose his name “Francis” after the
Catholic saint of nature, and, because nature can be viewed as impoverished,
marginalized, cast-out, he urges us to be moral leaders in word and deed,
especially in our practice of environmental ethics.
Robert
Redford, 76, actor, showcases environmental-theme independent films at the
Sundance Festival and supports environmental causes such as the Natural Resources
Defense Council (NRDC).
Arundhati
Roy, 52, writer/activist, is said to be the “conscience of India” with her
essays on crony capitalism and environmental depredation, thus providing “bracing ways of seeing, thinking, and
feeling.”
Carrie
Underwood, 31, singer/songwriter is an American Idol winner (2005) and animal
rights advocate.
Alice
Waters, 69, chef and activist on behalf of better eating habits, food (fresh
and local), cuisine, farmer markers, and improved home economics courses for
children (The Edible Schoolyard Project).
Note:
If my
analysis is correct, and my count accurate, these persons represent sixteen
percent of the total of the 100 named, thus reflecting a considerable number of
persons with environmental concerns, and a considerable depth of environmental
issues worldwide.
