'Recognizing Desmond Tutu for His Incredible Environmental Contributions', 3 January 2022

[...] Revered South African archbishop and human rights leader, Desmond Tutu, unfortunately passed away on Sunday, Dec. 26 at age 90. In addition to fighting the South African apartheid and winning a Nobel Peace Prize, Desmond Tutu made incredible environmental contributions that have made him a legendary name in the sustainability space. That said, he will be missed by people around the world...

Desmond Tutu paved the way for Black people in South Africa, in more ways than one. He was born in Klerksdorp, Transvaal in 1931, according to the Nobel Prize website, and had initially thought he wanted to follow his father's footsteps, and become a teacher. However, after graduating from University of South Africa and teaching at a high school for three years, Tutu decided to study theology in England. He became a Master in Theology, and in 1960, was officially ordained as a priest...

How did Desmond Tutu contribute to the environment?

Tutu was a major advocate for transitioning to cleaner means of energy, and worked hard to encourage others to join the fight against climate change. At the 2014 UN Climate Summit, he explained the importance of environmental intersectionality, making others aware of environmental injustices that so many minorities and vulnerable groups face on a regular basis. The op-ed he wrote for The Guardian about it was incredibly powerful, and is definitely worth reading.

In 2015, Tutu created a widely shared petition that called on various world leaders at the time, such as former POTUS Barack Obama as well as former UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, to fully transition to renewable energy. Calling climate change “one of the greatest moral challenges of our time," it made a powerful impression on environmentalists everywhere.

Tutu made a powerful impression in the world of human rights and environmentalism — he will be missed dearly.