An environmentalist is a person who is concerned with and/or advocates for the protection of the environment. An environmentalist can be considered a supporter of the goals of the

environmental movement The environmental movement (sometimes referred to as the ecology movement), also including conservation and green politics, is a diverse philosophical, social, and political movement for addressing environmental issues. Environmentalists a ...

, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the

natural environment The natural environment or natural world encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally, meaning in this case not artificial. The term is most often applied to the Earth or some parts of Earth. This environment encompasses ...

through changes to environmentally harmful human activities". An environmentalist is engaged in or believes in the philosophy of

environmentalism Environmentalism or environmental rights is a broad philosophy, ideology, and social movement regarding concerns for environmental protection and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks ...

or one of the related philosophies. John Muir - from Library-of-Congress (cropped)

The environmental movement has a number of subcommunities, with different approaches and focuses – each developing distinct movements and identities. Environmentalists are sometimes referred to by critics with informal or derogatory terms such as "greenie" and "tree-hugger", with some members of the public associating the most radical environmentalists with these derogatory terms.

Types

The environmental movement contains a number of subcommunities, that have developed with different approaches and philosophies in different parts of the world. Notably, the early environmental movement experienced a deep tension between the philosophies of conservation and broader

environmental protection Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment by individuals, organizations and governments. Its objectives are to conserve natural resources and the existing natural environment and, where possible, to repair dam ...

. In recent decades the rise to prominence of

environmental justice Environmental justice is a social movement to address the unfair exposure of poor and marginalized communities to harms from hazardous waste, resource extraction, and other land uses.Schlosberg, David. (2007) ''Defining Environmental Justic ...

, indigenous rights and key environmental crises like the climate crises, has led to the development of other environmentalist identities. Environmentalists can be describe as one of the following:

Climate activists

The public recognition of the

climate crisis ''Climate crisis'' is a term describing global warming and climate change, and their impacts. The term and the alternative term ''climate emergency'' have been used to describe the threat of global warming to humanity (and their planet), and to u ...

and emergence of the climate movement in the beginning of the 21st century led to a distinct group of activists. Activations like the School Strike for Climate and Fridays for Future, have led to a new generation of youth activists like

Greta Thunberg Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg (; born 3 January 2003) is a Swedish environmental activist who is known for challenging world leaders to take immediate action for climate change mitigation. Thunberg's activism began when she persuaded ...

Jamie Margolin Jamie Margolin (born December 10, 2001) is an American climate justice activist. She is the Co-Executive director of Zero Hour. Education Margolin attended Holy Names Academy. She currently studies film at the New York University Tisch Sch ...

and

Vanessa Nakate Vanessa Nakate (born 15 November 1996) is a Ugandan climate justice activist. Early life Nakate grew up in the Ugandan capital, Kampala neighborhood. She grew up in Kampala and became a celebrity in December 2018 after becoming concerned abo ...

who have created a global youth climate movement.

Conservationists

One notable strain of environmentalism, comes from the philosophy of the

conservation movement The conservation movement, also known as nature conservation, is a political, environmental, and social movement that seeks to manage and protect natural resources, including animal, fungus, and plant species as well as their habitat for the ...

. Conservationists are concerned with leaving the environment in a better state than the condition they found it distinct from human interaction. The conservation movement is associated with the early parts of the environmental movement of the 19th and 20th century.

Environmental defenders

Greens

The adoption of environmentalist into a distinct political ideology led to the development of political parties called "green parties", typically with a leftist political approach to overlapping issues of environmental and social wellbeing.

Water protectors

Notable environmentalists

Artist, naturalist, Sergio Rossetti Morosini, Pico Bone, Brigadeiro Mountain, Minas Gerais, Brazil, 2017

Some of the notable environmentalists who have been active in

lobbying In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...

for

and conservation include: *

Edward Abbey Edward Paul Abbey (January 29, 1927 – March 14, 1989) was an American author, essayist, and environmental activist noted for his advocacy of environmental issues and criticism of public land policies. His best-known works include '' Desert S ...

(writer, activist, philosopher) * Ansel Adams (photographer, writer, activist) *

Bayarjargal Agvaantseren Bayarjargal (Bayara) Agvaantseren (born 1969) is a Mongolian conservationist who has campaigned to save the habitat of the snow leopard in an area of the South Gobi Desert which has become a major mining hub. Thanks to her successful efforts t ...

(Mongolian conservationist) * Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad (environmental activist and economist of Bangladesh) * David Attenborough (broadcaster, naturalist) * John James Audubon (naturalist) * Sundarlal Bahuguna (environmentalist) * Seyyed Hossein Nasr (writer, philosopher) * Vic Barrett (climate activist) * Patriarch Bartholomew I (priest) *

David Bellamy David James Bellamy (18 January 1933 – 11 December 2019) was an English botanist, television presenter, author and environmental campaigner. Early and personal life Bellamy was born in London to parents Winifred May (née Green) and Thoma ...

(botanist) *

Ng Cho-nam Ng Cho-nam (, August 15, 1960 – December 13, 2019), , was a Hong Kong environmental studies scholar and conservationist who taught as an associate professor within the Department of Geography at the University of Hong Kong. He served as a top ad ...

(Hong Kong environmentalist and Associate Professor of Geography at

University of Hong Kong The University of Hong Kong (HKU) (Chinese: 香港大學) is a public research university in Hong Kong. Founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, it is the oldest tertiary institution in Hong Kong. HKU was also the f ...

) * Thomas Berry (priest, historian, philosopher) *

Wendell Berry Wendell Erdman Berry (born August 5, 1934) is an American novelist, poet, essayist, environmental activist, cultural critic, and farmer. Closely identified with rural Kentucky, Berry developed many of his agrarian themes in the early essays of ...

(farmer, philosopher) *

Chandi Prasad Bhatt Chandi Prasad Bhatt (born 23 June 1934) is an Indian Gandhian environmentalist and social activist, who founded Dasholi Gram Swarajya Sangh (DGSS) in Gopeshwar in 1964, which later became a mother-organization to the Chipko Movement, in which ...

(Gandhian environmentalist) * Murray Bookchin (anarchist, philosopher, social ecologist) * Wendy Bowman, Australian environmental activist * Stewart Brand (writer, founder of Whole Earth Catalog) * David Brower (writer, activist) * Molly Burhans (cartographer, activist) * Tahir Qureshi Mangrove Man or Mangroves Hero of

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

. Pakistani environmentalist. *

Lester Brown Lester Russel Brown (born March 28, 1934) is an American environmental analyst, founder of the Worldwatch Institute, and founder and former president of the Earth Policy Institute, a nonprofit research organization based in Washington, D.C. B ...

(environmentalist) *

Kevin Buzzacott Kevin Buzzacott (born 1947), often referred to as Uncle Kev as an Aboriginal elder, is an Indigenous Australian from the Arabunna nation in northern South Australia. He has campaigned widely for cultural recognition, justice and land rights fo ...

(Aboriginal activist) * Michelle Dilhara (actress) *

Helen Caldicott Helen Mary Caldicott (born 7 August 1938) is an Australian physician, author, and anti-nuclear advocate. She founded several associations dedicated to opposing the use of nuclear power, depleted uranium munitions, nuclear weapons, nuclear we ...

(medical doctor) * Joan Carling (Filipino human rights defender) *

Rachel Carson Rachel Louise Carson (May 27, 1907 – April 14, 1964) was an American marine biologist, writer, and conservationist whose influential book '' Silent Spring'' (1962) and other writings are credited with advancing the global environmental ...

(biologist, writer) *

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person t ...

(King of the

Commonwealth Realms A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state in the Commonwealth of Nations whose monarch and head of state is shared among the other realms. Each realm functions as an independent state, equal with the other realms and nations of the Commonweal ...

) *

Chevy Chase Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase (; born October 8, 1943) is an American comedian, actor and writer. He became a key cast member in the first season of ''Saturday Night Live'', where his recurring ''Weekend Update'' segment became a staple of the ...

(comedian) * Barry Commoner (biologist, politician) * Mike Cooley (engineer, trade unionist) *

Jacques-Yves Cousteau Jacques-Yves Cousteau, (, also , ; 11 June 191025 June 1997) was a French naval officer, oceanographer, filmmaker and author. He co-invented the first successful Aqua-Lung, open-circuit SCUBA ( self-contained underwater breathing apparatus). T ...

(explorer, ecologist) * Faiza Darkhani (c. 1992), Afghani environmentalist, women's rights activist, and educator * John Denver (musician) * Leonardo DiCaprio (actor) *

René Dubos René Jules Dubos (February 20, 1901 – February 20, 1982) was a French-American microbiologist, experimental pathologist, environmentalist, humanist, and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction for his book ''So Human An Animal ...

(microbiologist) *

Paul R. Ehrlich Paul Ralph Ehrlich (born May 29, 1932) is an American biologist known for his warnings about the consequences of population growth and limited resources. He is the Bing Professor Emeritus of Population Studies of the Department of Biology of St ...

(population biologist) * Hans-Josef Fell (German Green Party member) * Jane Fonda (actor) * Rolf Gardiner (rural revivalist) *

Peter Garrett Peter Robert Garrett (born 16 April 1953) is an Australian musician, environmentalist, activist and former politician. In 1973, Garrett became the lead singer of the Australian rock band Midnight Oil. As a performer he is known for his signa ...

(musician, politician) *

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic no ...

(politician, former Vice President of the United States) *

Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...

(actor) * James Hansen (scientist) *

Denis Hayes Denis Allen Hayes (born August 29, 1944) is an environmental advocate and an advocate for solar power. He rose to prominence in 1970 as the coordinator for the first Earth Day. Hayes founded the Earth Day Network and expanded it to more than 18 ...

(environmentalist and

solar power Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar power. Photovoltaic cells convert light into an electric current using the photovolta ...

advocate) * Nicolas Hulot (journalist and writer) * Robert Hunter (journalist, co-founder and first president of Greenpeace) *

Tetsunari Iida Tetsunari Iida (, ''Iida Tetsunari''; born 1959, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan) is director of the Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies in Japan. Following the Fukushima nuclear disaster, he is calling for a decrease in Japan's reliance on nucl ...

( sustainable energy advocate) * Jorian Jenks (English farmer) * Kathy Jetn̄il-Kijiner (poet and climate activist) *

Naomi Klein Naomi A. Klein (born May 8, 1970) is a Canadian author, social activist, and filmmaker known for her political analyses, support of ecofeminism, organized labour, left-wing politics and criticism of corporate globalization, fascism, ecofascism ...

(writer, activist) * Winona LaDuke (environmentalist) * A. Carl Leopold (plant physiologist) * Aldo Leopold (ecologist) *

Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, author, inventor, and activist. On May 20–21, 1927, Lindbergh made the first nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, a distance o ...

(aviator) * James Lovelock (scientist) *

Amory Lovins Amory Bloch Lovins (born November 13, 1947) is an American writer, physicist, and former chairman/chief scientist of the Rocky Mountain Institute. He has written on energy policy and related areas for four decades, and served on the US Nationa ...

(energy policy analyst) * Hunter Lovins (environmentalist) * Mark Lynas (journalist, activist) * Desmond Majekodunmi (environmentalist) * Xiuhtezcatl Martinez (activist) * Peter Max (graphic designer) * Michael McCarthy (naturalist, newspaper journalist, newspaper columnist, and author) * Bill McKibben (writer, activist) * David McTaggart (activist) *

Mahesh Chandra Mehta Mahesh Chandra Mehta is a public interest attorney from India. He single-handedly won numerous landmark judgments from India’s Supreme Court since 1984, including introducing lead-free gasoline to India and reducing the industrial pollution f ...

(lawyer, environmentalist) *

Chico Mendes Francisco Alves Mendes Filho, better known as Chico Mendes (; 15 December 1944 – 22 December 1988), was a Brazilian rubber tapper, trade union leader and environmentalist. He fought to preserve the Amazon rainforest, and advocated for the h ...

(activist) * George Monbiot (journalist) * Sergio Rossetti Morosini (naturalist, activist) * John Muir (naturalist, activist) * Luke Mullen (actor, filmmaker, environmentalist/activist) * Hilda Murrell (botanist, activist) * Ralph Nader (activist) *

Gaylord Nelson Gaylord Anton Nelson (June 4, 1916July 3, 2005) was an American politician and environmentalist from Wisconsin who served as a United States senator and governor. He was a member of the Democratic Party and the founder of Earth Day, which launch ...

(politician) * Yolanda Ortiz (chemist), Argentine environmentalist * Eugene Pandala (architect, environmentalist, natural and cultural heritage conservator) *

Medha Patkar Medha Patkar née Khanolkar (born 1 December 1954) is an Indian social activist and former Politician working on various crucial political and economic issues raised by tribals, dalits, farmers, labourers and women facing injustice in India. She ...

(activist) * Alan Pears ( environmental consultant and energy efficiency pioneer) *

River Phoenix River Jude Phoenix (; August 23, 1970 – October 31, 1993) was an American actor, musician and activist. Phoenix grew up in an itinerant family, as the older brother of Rain Phoenix, Joaquin Phoenix, Liberty Phoenix, and Summer Phoenix. He ...

(actor, musician, activist) *

Jonathon Porritt Sir Jonathon Espie Porritt, 2nd Baronet, CBE (born 6 July 1950) is a British environmentalist and writer. He is known for his advocacy of the Green Party of England and Wales. Porritt frequently contributes to magazines, newspapers and books ...

(politician) * Phil Radford (environmental, clean energy and democracy advocate, Greenpeace Executive Director) * Bonnie Raitt (musician) *

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

(former

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

) * Hakob Sanasaryan (biochemist, activist) *

Ken Saro-Wiwa Kenule Beeson "Ken" Saro-Wiwa (10 October 1941 – 10 November 1995) was a Nigerians, Nigerian writer, television producer, and environmental activist. Ken Saro-Wiwa was a member of the Ogoni people, an ethnic minority in Nigeria whose homelan ...

(writer, television producer, activist) * Shimon Schwarzschild (writer, activist) * Vandana Shiva (environmental activist) * Swami Sundaranand (yogi, photographer, author and mountaineer) * David Suzuki (scientist, broadcaster) * Candice Swanepoel (model) * Shōzō Tanaka (politician and activist) * Saalumarada Thimmakka * Henry David Thoreau (writer, philosopher) *

(activist) * Jo Valentine (politician and activist) * Harvey Wasserman (journalist, activist) *

Paul Watson Paul Franklin Watson (born December 2, 1950) is a Canadian-American conservation and environmental activist, who founded the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an anti-poaching and direct action group focused on marine conservation activism. Th ...

(activist and lecturer) * Franz Weber (environmentalist and animal welfare activist) *

Henry Williamson Henry William Williamson (1 December 1895 – 13 August 1977) was an English writer who wrote novels concerned with wildlife, English social history and ruralism. He was awarded the Hawthornden Prize for literature in 1928 for his book ''Tarka ...

(naturalist, writer) *

Wangari Maathai Wangarĩ Muta Maathai (; 1 April 1940 – 25 September 2011) was a Kenyan social, environmental and a political activist and the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. As a beneficiary of the Kennedy Airlift, she studied in the Un ...

(Kenyan environmentalist, Nobel Laureate) *

(Ugandan youth climate justice activist, UN SDG 13 Young Leader) * Nyombi Morris (Ugandan youth environmental activist,

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

br>Environmentalist of tomorrow
* Sakhawat Ali, Pakistani environmentalist, heritage conservator and

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values t ...

* Yusuf Baluch ( Climate Justice Activist)

Extension

In recent years, there are not only environmentalists for natural environment but also environmentalists for human environment. For instance, the activists who call for "mental green space" by getting rid of disadvantages of internet, cable TV, and smartphones have been called "info-environmentalists".

References

External links

The Environmentalist
- News blog by Greenpeace. {{Portal bar, Politics, Environment, Society Political occupations