аÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û

Jane-Goodall-by Muhammad Mahdi Karim-

20 Famous Environmental Scientists you should know about

Your life is strongly influenced by your environment, regardless of where you reside or what you want to do, and vice versa. Environmental science is the study of this interplay as well as the physical, chemical, and biological elements of the environment. Environmental scientists are more important than ever in light of modern environmental pressures and population increase. An environmental scientist researches environmental and human health risks while pursuing win-win solutions.

Protecting the environment against numerous risks and safeguarding humans from environmental dangers are the main duties of an environmental scientist. To safeguard these natural resources and people’s health, environmental scientists concentrate especially on the environment’s immediate surroundings, such as the air, land, and water. Environmentalists have made significant contributions to both natural areas and our personal lives throughout history. They created public lands, developed regenerative agriculture, wrote key works of literature, and represent the voices of people, animals, and centuries-old trees. Here is a list of 20 key environmentalists who have contributed significantly to the ever-expanding green movement.

Read also; 15 Brightest Scientists of All Time

1. Aldo Leopold

Aldo Leopold, 1946 (cropped)-by Howard Zahniser-

Aldo Leopold, an American author, philosopher, naturalist, scientist, ecologist, forester, conservationist, and environmentalist, was born on January 11, 1887, and he passed away on April 21, 1948. Modern environmentalism, wildlife management techniques, and conservation policies have all been impacted by Leopold. He made the case in his writings on wildlife that we must protect nature at all costs because it will benefit both people and species. Additionally, he promoted the preservation of animals by building reserves and refuges, which aided in the conservation of biodiversity. He also promoted biodiversity and environmental management that is based on biodiversity.

2. Rachel Carson

Rachel Louise Carson, an American marine biologist, author, and conservationist who was born on May 27, 1907, and passed away on April 14, 1964, is credited with helping to advance the environmental movement around the world through her seminal book Silent Spring (1962) and other writings. The US agency for environmental protection was founded as a result of Carson’s writings, with the goal of preventing pollution from entering waterways and air pollution from invading land areas.

3. James Hansen

James E Hansen-by Bill Ebbesen-

James Edward Hansen, an adjunct professor from the United States who oversees the Earth Institute’s Program on Climate Science, Awareness, and Solutions, was born on March 29, 1942. He is most known for his climatology research, his 1988 Congressional testimony on climate change, which contributed to increasing public awareness of global warming, and his support for taking action to prevent disastrous climate change.

4. Jane Goodall

Dame Jane Morris Goodall is an English anthropologist and primatologist who was born on April 3, 1934. She has spent 60 years researching the social and familial dynamics of wild chimpanzees, earning her the title of top chimpanzee specialist in the world. It turns out that Jane’s attention to the finer points of chimpanzee life has contributed to our understanding of how humans changed over time and how much more there is to discover about our closest relatives. She founded the Jane Goodall Institute, which promotes chimpanzee preservation, and also founded a chimpanzee rehabilitation facility in the Congo.

5. Robert D. Bullard

Robert-D-Bullard-by Dave Brenner-

American academic, activist, and author Robert D. Bullard has authored several works on environmental justice. He was born in Elba in 1946 and earned a doctorate of philosophy in sociology from Iowa State University in 1976. Bullard, who served as the Environmental Justice Resource Center’s director and Ware Professor of Sociology at Clark Atlanta University, is regarded as the “father of environmental justice.” He has been a key advocate against environmental racism as well as the main expert on the issue of the Environmental Justice Movement, which emerged in the 1980s in the United States.

6. John Muir

John Muir, also known as “John of the Mountains” and the “Father of the National Parks,” was a significant Scottish-American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, botanist, zoologist, glaciologist, and early supporter of the preservation of wilderness in the United States of America. He was born on April 21, 1838, and died on December 24, 1914.

Despite being a Wisconsin native, he was born in Scotland. He studied botany at the University of Wisconsin and became interested in the outdoors. Soon after, Muir began to focus on protecting national parks, notably Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks. Because of John Muir’s work, these parks, which are among the most beautiful locations on earth, exist today. The Sierra Club, a group dedicated to environmental preservation, was co-founded by John Muir as well.

7. Chico Mendes

Chico Mendes in 1988-by Miranda Smith, Miranda Productions, Inc-

Francisco Alves Mendes Filho, also known as Chico Mendes, was a Brazilian rubber worker, trade unionist, and environmentalist. He was born on December 15, 1944, and died on December 22, 1988. Chico Mendes was born in Xapuri. He led the charge in the battle to protect the Amazon rainforest, which he believed was being destroyed by loggers and farmers. He devoted his entire life to preventing the destruction of the rainforest. 

8. Gaylord Nelson

Gaylord Anton Nelson was a Wisconsin-born American politician and environmentalist who served as a senator and governor between June 4, 1916, and July 3, 2005. He was a Democratic Party member and the man behind the creation of Earth Day, which sparked a fresh round of environmental action.

Read also; Top 20 Little-Known Facts about Scientists Who Changed the World

9. David Orr

David Orr 2013-by United Church of Christ-

David W. Orr is an Arizona State University professor of practice and the Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics Emeritus at Oberlin College. Orr was one of the first academics to realize that environmental studies have to be covered in fundamental subjects. He also has a talent for penning books that promote environmental preservation.

10. Wangari Maathai 

Wangari Muta Maathai, the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, was a social, environmental, and political activist from Kenya who was born on 1 April 1940 and passed away on 25 September 2011. Wangari Maathai is the most inspirational person you will ever meet if you’re looking for someone to motivate you. Maathai established the Green Belt Movement (GBM), a nonprofit group, in 1977 to promote women’s rights while promoting environmental preservation and tree planting. The GBM sought to prevent domestic abuse against women and stop deforestation in Kenya’s forest reserves.

11. George Washington Carver

George Washington Carver c1910-by not listed-

American agricultural scientist and investor George Washington Carver, who was born in 1864 and died on January 5, 1943, advocated for crops other than cotton and strategies to stop soil erosion. He was a well-known black scientist during the early 20th century. As a professor at Tuskegee Institute, Carver created methods for restoring soil types that had been depleted by repeated cotton plantations. He desired for hungry farmers to cultivate additional crops, such as peanuts, and sweet potatoes, to supplement their diets and enhance their standard of living. In recognition of his accomplishments, the National Academy of Sciences awarded him the Spingarn Medal in 1923.

12. Paul Hawken

Paul Gerard Hawken is an American environmentalist, businessman, author, economist, and activist who was born on February 8th, 1946. Since the 1980s, Hawken has mostly addressed global warming and climate change in his writing. He also supports sustainable agriculture, resource conservation, and more effective farming methods, all of which work to preserve the environment for the next generations.

13. Julia Hill

Julia Butterfly Hill, 2006-by Carl-John Veraja-

Born on February 18, 1974, Julia Lorraine Hill, often known as Julia Butterfly Hill, is a proponent of revenue redistribution and an environmental activist. She is best known for spending 430+ days between December 10, 1997, and December 18, 1999, living inside a 180-foot (55 m) tall, roughly 1800-year-old California redwood tree. Hill dwelt in the tree, known as Luna, to stop loggers from the Pacific Lumber Company from felling it. She is a co-author of One Makes the Difference and the author of the 2000 book The Legacy of Luna.

14. Winona LaDuke

Winona LaDuke, an American economist, environmentalist, author, and farmer of industrial hemp, was born on August 18, 1959. LaDuke is renowned for having a big impact on settling tribal land disputes. She is well-liked across the nation thanks to her advocacy for sustainable development, especially among millennials who are concerned about the environment and economic justice. She co-founded Honor the Earth, a group that advocates for environmentally sound behavior.

Read also; 20 Famous Native Americans We Should All Know About

15. Jamie Margolin

Bill Keating with Thunberg, Margolin, and Barret-by Representative Bill Keating-

Jamie Margolin, a climate justice campaigner from the United States, was born on December 10, 2001. In 2017, at age 15, Margolin co-founded the youth climate action organization Zero Hour with Nadia Nazar a movement that intends to provide young people with a forum where they can express their thoughts on how they can combat climate change and improve their local communities. She gained considerable recognition when she joined the Aji P. v. Washington lawsuit and accused the state of Washington of failing to do enough to stop climate change on the grounds that a stable climate is a human right.

16. Malaika Vaz

Malaika Vaz is a Goan wildlife filmmaker, TV host, and National Geographic explorer. She is the youngest person ever to go with students on ice foundation to both the Arctic and the Antarctic. Malaika began her career as an environmentalist by chronicling her travels in India, where she reported on the scientific community’s work to conserve endangered species. She also emphasized the initiatives taken by nearby communities to protect their own lands and wildlife. Malaika emphasizes the significance of conserving natural resources for present and future generations. Others are motivated to take action by her work to combat environmental issues like deforestation. 

17. Penny Whetton

Penny Whetton-by Mal Vickers-

Penelope Whetton, who was born on 5 January 1958 and passed away on September 11, 2019, was a climatologist and an authority on regional climate change projections as a result of global warming and the effects of such changes. Australia was her main area of scientific interest. Whetton spoke at numerous conferences on climate change, including the Aspen Global Change Institute, Four Degrees Or More? and others. Whetton contributed to other well-known publications as well as countless scholarly journal articles on climate change. 

18. Greta Thunberg

Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg, a Swedish environmental activist, is well-known for pressuring world leaders to take fast action to combat climate change. She was born on January 3, 2003. She became a leader in the activist movement due to her fast climb to international prominence, but also because of her young, she became a target for haters. The Guardian and other media outlets have referred to her impact as the “Greta effect” on the global stage.

She earned a number of honors and recognitions, including an honorary Fellowship from the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, a spot on Time’s list of the 100 most influential people, the distinction of being the year’s youngest Time Person of the Year, a spot on Forbes’ list of the 100 most powerful women in the world (2019), and four nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. She also started the Fridays for Future campaign, which promotes environmental protection. 

19. Edward Abbey

Edward Paul Abbey, an American author, writer, and environmental activist was born on January 29, 1927, and he passed away on March 14, 1989. He is renowned for his support of environmental causes and criticism of public land policies. Abbey was raised in Pennsylvania but is most known for his fervent advocacy of the Southwest’s deserts. He authored “Desert Solitaire,” one of the foundational works of the environmental movement, after working for the National Park Service in what is now Arches National Park, Utah. His later work “The Monkey Wrench Gang” became well-known for serving as an example for the extreme environmental movement Earth First! which some have charged with eco-sabotage.

20. Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau-by B. D. Maxham-

An American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher, Henry David Thoreau lived from July 12, 1817, until May 6, 1862. Being a prominent transcendentalist, he is best known for his book Walden, which is a reflection on simple living in the natural world, and his essay “Civil Disobedience,” which makes the case for defying an unjust government. There are more than 20 volumes of Thoreau’s books, essays, articles, journals, and poetry. His publications on philosophy and natural history, in which he foresaw the approaches and outcomes of ecology and environmental history two main sources of contemporary environmentalism are among his lasting achievements.

Read also; Top 10 Facts about Henry David Thoreau

Living with ADHD may alter the person’s outlook on life and motivate them to approach things and circumstances with care. Therefore, some people with ADHD might be creative thinkers. They can also be described as unique, innovative, and artistic.