Kenyan Climate Activist Elizabeth Wathuti Named to TIME100 Next 2022 List

Kenyan climate and environment activist Elizabeth Wathuti has been named in Time magazine’s 2022 TIME100 Next list which recognizes the 100 emerging leaders from around the world who are shaping the future and defining the next generation of leadership.

Wathuti, 27, was featured under the Phenoms category alongside other international stars including Tiktok sensation Khaby Lame, NBA player Ja Morant, Austin Rusell, Tyler Mitchelle, Simone Ashley, Edgar Rico, Maria Taylor, Leah Thomas, Erriyon Knighton, and Carlos Alvarez among others.
 
This year's list had five categories namely; Artists, Phenoms, Innovators, Leaders, and Advocates.

Wathuti, the only Kenyan on the list published annually, shot to the limelight last November when she spoke during the UN climate change conference (Cop26) in Glasgow, Scotland. In her speech, she highlighted how Kenyans are being battered by climate-related starvation.

"Her powerful advocacy on the international stage has helped bring to the world’s attention the climate impacts already devastating her home country, Kenya, and other countries across the African continent," TIME said in a statement.

"Elizabeth leads important grassroots work at home in Kenya, where she is the Founder of the Green Generation Initiative (GGI), a tree-growing initiative that enhances food security for young Kenyans, inspired by the work of the late Nobel Laureate Professor Wangari Maathai and she is also the Founding Director of the African Youth Climate Leaders Hub at the late Nobel laureate's foundation."

Reacting to her recognition, Wathuti said; “It is a great honor to be included in this year’s TIME100 Next list. Today I especially wish to celebrate the tireless efforts of my friends in the global youth climate movement, who are also fighting every day for a safe future.”

"Together, we are an unstoppable movement of millions, and we will not tire, we will make change happen."