By Nneka Nwogwugwu
In addition to fighting the South African apartheid and winning a Nobel Peace Prize, Desmond Tutu, Revered South African archbishop and human rights leader made incredible environmental contributions that have made him a legendary name in the sustainability space.
Desmond Tutu passed away on Sunday, December 26 2021 at age 90.
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“A man of extraordinary intellect, integrity and invincibility against the forces of apartheid, he was also tender and vulnerable in his compassion for those who had suffered oppression, injustice and violence under apartheid, and oppressed and downtrodden people around the world,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a heartfelt statement on Sunday.
His contributions to the environment are:
1. 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.
2. 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.
