--- description: "He was definitely ahead of his time," Irwin tells TIME of his father's climate advocacy. title: Robert Irwin Speaks About Climate Change And His Father's Legacy image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbfac5feb73bd82e7/698a060a97cdff7ffc6b9dbc/time-100-next-43.jpg?branch=production ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [TIME 100 Next](/tag/time-100-next/) ## TIME 100 Next Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 'He Was Definitely Ahead of His Time.' Robert Irwin Speaks About Climate Change And His Father's Legacy  by [Madeleine Carlisle](/author/madeleine-carlisle/)  ## Madeleine Carlisle Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 15, 2019 3:03 AM CUT  Robert Irwin attends TIME 100 Next 2019 at Pier 17 on November 14, 2019 in New York City. Robert Irwin attends TIME 100 Next 2019 at Pier 17 on November 14, 2019 in New York City.Kevin Mazur—Getty Images for TIME  by [Madeleine Carlisle](/author/madeleine-carlisle/)  ## Madeleine Carlisle Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 15, 2019 3:03 AM CUT The 15-year-old [Robert Irwin](https://time.com/collection/time-100-next-2019/5718903/bindi-irwin-robert-irwin/ "undefined"), the son of late conservationist Steve Irwin, spoke about the danger of climate change and his father’s legacy. “The amazing thing with our dad was that he was talking about climate change and the effects that it had kind of before it was as popular as it is now,” Irwin told TIME on Thursday at the 2019 TIME 100 Next event. “He was definitely ahead of his time.” Irwin says the threat of climate change will only grow large as time goes on. “Right now is what’s going to affect the generations’ to come,” he explains. “We see in Australia even back home some of the effects on our native life and habitat at the moment.” “We definitely have to act quickly,” he adds. Irwin also spoke about how social media can be a powerful tool to spread this message, although people need to be careful about how they use it. “For Bindi and myself, it’s always been a kind of platform to spread a positive message,” he says. “I think it can really be used to kind of unite people, and these days pretty much everybody has social media to a certain extent.” “I think it can be a really good way of reaching out and spreading a message to so many people so quickly,” he explains. Irwin and his sister Bindi have amassed a huge follow on Instagram, and in 2018, the Irwins debut the reality-TV series “Crikey! It’s the Irwins,” which airs on Animal Planet. This year Irwin was chosen for the [TIME 100 Next](https://time.com/collection/time-100-next-2019/ "undefined") list, an expansion of the TIME 100 franchise that spotlights 100 rising stars who are shaping the future of their fields— from business to entertainment, sports, politics and beyond. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5727385/robert-irwin-on-dad/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5727385/robert-irwin-on-dad/"},"headline":"'He Was Definitely Ahead of His Time.' 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