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13 Climate Justice Leaders Imagined as Comic Superheroes

鈥淩ogue Scientists鈥 was an inspired choice.

The Earth could use some climate-change-fighting superheroes right about now.听And according to a new comic series by the nonprofit , there are a few real-life ones in our midst.

Thirteen of them, actually.

On Earth Day, April 22, Amplifier released the comic art series #MyClimateHero, portraying leaders of the modern climate justice movement. 听is a Seattle-based art design lab that facilitates art aimed at 鈥渁mplifying the voices of social change,鈥 according to its website.

鈥#MyClimateHero tells the story of modern climate leaders building unprecedented cooperation, driving action, and creating space for those most impacted to share their knowledge and perspectives,鈥 said Amplifier chief of staff Tamara Power-Drutis in a statement.

Comic artists designed the series, which also features interviews and excerpts of the superheroes. Amplifer will release all artwork for free download on its 听on Earth Day.

Here is an advanced look at the series.

Anthony Karefa Rogers-Wright

Social and climate justice advocate

Artwork by Jeremy Packer

鈥淟eadership in itself must come from frontline communities, which includes Native American, Black, Brown, and low-wealth folk. Leaders and everyone in this work understand that it takes a lot of work to better understand the needs of these communities and the need to support them more. 鈥 The frontlines are also our First Line of defense in the climate fight, [and] they are and must be the foundation. The Environmental community is also realizing, albeit slowly, the need to establish the nexus between racial justice and the climate struggle, and this is a good thing.鈥澨鈥擜nthony Karefa Rogers-Wright, excerpted from an interview by Tamara Power-Drutis for Amplifier鈥檚 #MyClimateHero Comic Series.

Angel Hsu

Founder and director of Data-Driven Yale

Artwork by Pia Guerra

鈥淢odern climate heroes are needed now more than ever because climate change is worsening and accelerating. In my field of work, modern climate heroes are those individuals, companies, organizations, and governments who take actions to slow climate change while transparently sharing what it is they are doing. We don鈥檛 have a good sense, collectively, of how well policies and initiatives designed to tackle climate change are working because there is not enough available data to assess these efforts.鈥澨鈥擜ngel Hsu, excerpted from an interview by Tamara Power-Drutis for Amplifier鈥檚 #MyClimateHero Comic Series.

Neil deGrasse Tyson

Director of the Hayden Planetarium

Artwork by Gan Golan

鈥淎s a voter, as a citizen, scientific issues will come before you. And isn鈥檛 it worth it to say, 鈥楢lright, let me at least become scientifically literate, so that I can think about these issues and act intelligently upon them.鈥 Recognize what science is, and allow it to be what it听can and should be: in the service of civilization. It鈥檚 in our hands.鈥鈥擭eil deGrasse Tyson, in Science in America, a film by Sarah Klein and Tom Mason.


Adrianna Quintero

Executive Director of Voces Verdes

Artwork by Dan Goldman

鈥淎n open and inclusive movement with people of all types working together, not because we call ourselves environmentalists, but because we have a shared vision for a healthy environment and a better future for everyone is stronger than any polluter. We just need to believe in ourselves and stand strong to fight for what鈥檚 right. Our future depends on it.鈥鈥擜drianna Quintero, excerpted from an interview by Tamara Power-Drutis for Amplifier鈥檚 #MyClimateHero Comic Series.

Patricia Espinosa Cantellano

Executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

Artwork by Pia Guerra

鈥淲hen it comes to climate change, we need women at the negotiating tables, in boardrooms and as the heads of businesses, in the streets and in the fields. 鈥 After all, we know that gender equality and empowerment of women and girls is key to successfully meet our climate and sustainable development goals. So, it is important that we work together to make sure that women鈥檚 voices are heard, but furthermore, that women are involved in making the key decisions that will lead to a better tomorrow for all.鈥鈥 from a transcript of a speech by Patricia Espinosa at the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn on November 13, 2017.

Pope Francis

Supreme Pontiff

Artwork by Marty Two BULLS

鈥淧articular appreciation is owed to those who tirelessly seek to resolve the tragic effects of environmental degradation on the lives of the world鈥檚 poorest. Young people demand change. They wonder how anyone can claim to be building a better future without thinking of the environmental crisis and the sufferings of the excluded.

I urgently appeal, then, for a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet. We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all.鈥鈥擡xcerpt from the 鈥淓ncyclical Letter Laudato Si鈥 of the Holy Father Francis on the Care for Our Common Home,鈥 published June 2015

Jane Kleeb

Founder of Bold Alliance

Artwork by Dan Goldman

鈥淓nvironmentalists are not only living on the coasts of our country or in big cities. Ranchers, farmers, Native Americans in rural states work every day to protect the land and water for future generations. Some people think those of us that live in rural communities are 鈥榖ackwards,鈥 or don鈥檛 care about climate change. However, the reality is, if we don鈥檛 take care of the land and protect the water, we also can鈥檛 grow crops or raise cattle. Pipelines are threatening not only climate change, but the very way of life in rural and small towns.鈥澨鈥擩ane Kleeb, excerpted from an interview by Tamara Power-Drutis for Amplifier鈥檚 #MyClimateHero Comic Series.

The Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr.

President and CEO of the Hip Hop Caucus

Artwork by Pia Guerra

鈥淚 also think of all the various efforts within the climate and environmental movement that are meant to broaden and grow the movement in numbers and diversity. And I think, all those efforts will not be as successful as they should be until there is true recognition of what it means to march for climate as a person of color, and until there are meaningful things put in place to create a multicultural movement that accounts for the different experiences we have even at the same climate march, let alone in the same country, and certainly on the same planet.鈥鈥擡xcerpt from 鈥淢arching for Climate While Black,鈥 by Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr. for .

Nathaniel Stinnett

Founder and executive director of the Environmental Voter Project

Artwork by Valentine De Landro

鈥淭he environmental movement鈥檚 biggest enemy is complacency. We already know the solutions to most of humanity鈥檚 great environmental problems (even climate change), but we鈥檙e not yet implementing those solutions. 鈥 Without political leadership, we鈥檙e never going to address the climate crisis. And we鈥檙e never going to get political leadership on climate change unless voters force it to happen. So, every environmentalist needs to vote. You can no longer care about climate change and claim that voting doesn鈥檛 matter.鈥擭athaniel Stinnett, excerpted from an interview by Tamara Power-Drutis for Amplifier鈥檚 #MyClimateHero Comic Series.

Rogue Scientists

Who saved environmental data

Artwork by Valentine DeLandro

鈥淒ata Refuge launched November 2016 in Philadelphia to draw attention to how climate denial endangers federal environmental data. With the help of thousands of civic partners and volunteers, the project has rapidly spread to over fifty cities and towns across the country.鈥澨鈥擡xcerpted text from the .

Paul Nicklen

Expedition lead and co-founder of SeaLegacy

Artwork by Jeremy Packer

鈥淎t SeaLegacy, and through my own platforms, we can engage with millions of people, in real time, every day. That is something that was unheard of even just two years ago. With this huge distribution channel comes an even greater responsibility to merge science with art and storytelling so that we can maximize this unprecedented opportunity to make the change we need to ensure this planet is going to survive鈥攃hange that the majority of people want and know is necessary.鈥澨鈥擯aul Nicklen, excerpted from an interview by Tamara Power-Drutis for Amplifier鈥檚 #MyClimateHero Comic Series.

21 Kids v. Gov

Juliana v. United States of America

Artwork by Gan Golan

鈥淚鈥檓 grateful that my fellow plaintiffs and I can have our voices heard, and that climate science can have its day in court. The Trump administration tried to avoid trial, but they can鈥檛 ignore us. Our future is our choice and I believe the courts will stand with our constitutional rights.鈥鈥擵ictoria Barrett鈥, plaintiff from White Plains, New York, in a March 7, 2018 by Our Children鈥檚 Trust.

James Balog

Founder and president, Earth Vision Institute and Extreme Ice Survey

Artwork by Mark5

鈥淚 have found repeatedly that no matter what somebody鈥檚 preconception was about climate change, if I could get them in the room and show them in a gentle and impartial way what our team has observed in the world, they realize through their intellect and their hearts that this is real. And I鈥檝e had many audiences with climate skeptics or climate deniers in the room鈥攊n many cases the majority鈥攁nd I still have wound up with standing ovations from those crowds. The witnessing that we鈥檝e done is powerful and it seems to inspire people to know that there are others who risk their lives and their careers for this cause.鈥鈥擩ames Balog, excerpted from an interview by Stephen Lacey for .

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