--- title: Ayana Elizabeth Johnson: "Act as if You Love the Future" description: In her TIME Earth Award speech, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson urges us to replace passive hope with decisive, science-driven solutions. canonical: https://time.com/7330678/climate-change-activism-earth-awards/ author: Ayana Elizabeth Johnson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-11-04T18:27:45.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:48:44.765Z article:section: Climate og:title: Ayana Elizabeth Johnson: "Act as if You Love the Future" og:description: In her TIME Earth Award speech, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson urges us to replace passive hope with decisive, science-driven solutions. og:url: https://time.com/7330678/climate-change-activism-earth-awards/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbcd67669710f8726/6998cb5507a30d5f3b77d7e4/Ayana-Elizabeth-Johnson.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1800 og:image:height: 1013 og:image:alt: Ayana Elizabeth Johnson og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Ayana Elizabeth Johnson: "Act as if You Love the Future" twitter:description: In her TIME Earth Award speech, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson urges us to replace passive hope with decisive, science-driven solutions. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbcd67669710f8726/6998cb5507a30d5f3b77d7e4/Ayana-Elizabeth-Johnson.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Ayana Elizabeth Johnson: 'Act as if You Love the Future' > Sponsored content. 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Future Proof is TIME's weekly climate and energy newsletter, written by senior correspondent Justin Worland. It connects the energy transition to the decisions reshaping business, technology, policy and markets. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Ayana Elizabeth Johnson Urges Action on Climate Solutions in TIME Earth Award Speech [Watch (HLS stream): Ayana Elizabeth Johnson Urges Action on Climate Solutions in TIME Earth Award Speech](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/jvrMyByr.m3u8) (6:10)  _Published 2025-10-31. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, the marine biologist and climate activist who co-founded the Urban Ocean Lab, received a TIME Earth Award on Oct. 30 at the TIME100 Next Gala, an event bringing together emerging leaders from across the world._ by [Ayana Elizabeth Johnson](https://time.com/author/ayana-elizabeth-johnson/) ## Ayana Elizabeth Johnson Nov 4, 2025 6:27 PM UTC  Ayana Elizabeth Johnson Ayana Elizabeth Johnson Daniel Prakopcyk for TIME by [Ayana Elizabeth Johnson](https://time.com/author/ayana-elizabeth-johnson/) ## Ayana Elizabeth Johnson Nov 4, 2025 6:27 PM UTC _In her TIME Earth Awards speech, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson urges us to replace passive hope with decisive, science-driven solutions._ I was asked to talk about hope. But I work on climate change and [last year was the hottest year](https://wmo.int/news/media-centre/wmo-confirms-2024-warmest-year-record-about-155degc-above-pre-industrial-level) on Earth in human history. And Hurricane Melissa, supercharged by a Caribbean Sea that’s way hotter than it should be, just smashed into Jamaica, the island my family is from, with [record-breaking](https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/10/catastrophic-hurricane-melissa-hits-jamaica-as-the-strongest-landfalling-atlantic-hurricane-on-record/) winds. So what I have to say is: F-ck hope. What’s the strategy? What are we going to do so that we don’t need hope? Take it from me, a scientist: _yes_, things are dire, and yes, it’s because humans have burned fossil fuels and burned forests — scientists agree on this. To be clear, most of the blame for this climate crisis goes to the [greedy fossil fuel executives](https://exxonknew.org/) and big agriculture executives, their [greenwashing PR firms](https://mashable.com/feature/carbon-footprint-pr-campaign-sham), and the politicians in their pockets. But each of us deserve some blame too because we are letting it happen. We are going about our lives while powerful people set our future on fire. But here’s the good news — and if you remember only one thing I say tonight, let it be this: We already have [the solutions](http://drawdown.org) we need. We can transition to clean energy _now_ — solar panels and wind turbines are already [the cheapest](https://www.irena.org/News/pressreleases/2025/Jul/91-Percent-of-New-Renewable-Projects-Now-Cheaper-Than-Fossil-Fuels-Alternatives?ref=onlys.ky) ways to generate electricity. We can protect and restore ecosystems now. We can grow food sustainably, green our buildings, and improve public transit _now_. We can put our money where our mouth is _now_. There’s no magical technology we need to wait for. We are making progress, but we need to move _much_ faster. The longer we delay, the harder and [more expensive](https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/the-cost-of-inaction/) it will be. Now, despite co-founding a policy think tank, [Urban Ocean Lab](http://urbanoceanlab.org), it took me way too long to realize that cultural change usually comes _before_ policy change. This was true for civil rights, for gay marriage. And the people in this room shape culture. You have _so much_ power to accelerate climate action, to inspire your crowds and shift the status quo. You can write romcoms and songs about climate solutions, design products for circularity, support key policies. Come see me at table 6 if you want to talk about what you, specifically, can do. I will personally help you figure out how to make the biggest difference. But what everyone _definitely_ needs to do is [speak up](https://www.ted.com/talks/katharine%5Fhayhoe%5Fthe%5Fmost%5Fimportant%5Fthing%5Fyou%5Fcan%5Fdo%5Fto%5Ffight%5Fclimate%5Fchange%5Ftalk%5Fabout%5Fit). Right now [2 out of 3 Americans](https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/climate-change-in-the-american-mind-beliefs-attitudes-spring-2025/toc/2/) rarely or _never_ hear about climate on the news or on social media. And as long as that silence continues there’s no chance we’re going to solve this. And don’t let climate deniers scare you — they may be loud, and too many of them are running our government right now, but they are only [15%](https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/climate-change-in-the-american-mind-beliefs-attitudes-spring-2025/toc/3/) of Americans. You may think that climate change is not your issue, but it affects everything. Whether you care about national security and food security, public health and racial justice, robust infrastructure and low energy bills, outdoor concerts and sporting events, SCUBA diving on coral reefs, skiing on real snow, having ice thick enough for ice fishing, [eating](https://worth.com/15-foods-disappear-due-to-climate-change/) chocolate and peaches, drinking wine and coffee, or your house not getting swallowed by the ocean, climate is _your_ issue. And if you’re concerned about immigration _now_, well, we are poised to see the largest and fastest migration of people in human history — [hundreds of millions](https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2021/09/13/climate-change-could-force-216-million-people-to-migrate-within-their-own-countries-by-2050) of people will have to relocate as climate change renders their places unlivable. It’s all intertwined. And, as usual, the people with the fewest resources will get screwed. But even if you have a bunker in New Zealand, climate change is coming for you too. And we are not all going to Mars. If you care about the future _at all_, you need to care about nature and act on that care. Use your platforms and your votes. Leverage your networks and your dollars. Where you keep your money is probably [the biggest part](https://www.topofinance.org/) of your personal carbon footprint, actually — even more than flying. So, [divest your banking](https://bankforgood.org/) and [divest your retirement savings](https://investyourvalues.org/). Call your money manager first thing in the morning and tell them you don’t want a single one of your dollars funding oil, or gas, or coal. Then, move toward a [plant-based diet](https://drawdown.org/explorer/improve-diets). Remember: We already have [the solutions we need](http://drawdown.org). And it’s not all or nothing. Every tenth of a degree of warming we prevent, every inch of sea level rise we avoid, every increasingly _unnatural_ disaster we avert, every species we save, every bit of nature we protect and restore, it all matters. Addressing the climate crisis is the work of our lifetimes. So I invite you to join me: Act as if you _love_ the future. And be _tenacious_ on behalf of life on Earth. Thank you. ## Transcript I was asked to talk about Hope tonight, but I work on climate change and 2024 was the hottest year on earth in human history. And Hurricane Melissa supercharged by a Caribbean sea that is way hotter than it should be, just smashed into Jamaica, the island that my family is from with record breaking winds. So what I have to say to you tonight is **** hope. What's the strategy? What are we going to do so that we don't need hope? And you can take it from me. I'm a scientist. Yes, things are dire. And yes, it is because humans have burned fossil fuels and burned forests. Scientists agree on this. To be clear, most of the blame for the climate crisis goes to the greedy fossil energy and big agriculture executives, their greenwashing PR firms and the politicians in their pockets. But Each of us deserves some blame too, because we are letting it happen. We are going about our lives while powerful people set the world on fire. However, here's the good news. And if you remember only one thing I say tonight, let it be this. We already have the solutions we need. We can transition to clean energy now. Solar panels and wind turbines are already the cheapest ways to generate electricity. We can protect and restore ecosystems now. We can grow food sustainably, green our buildings, and improve public transit right now. We can put our money where our mouth is. Now, there's no magical technology we need to wait for, and we are making progress. But we need to move much faster. The longer we delay, the harder and more expensive it will be. And Despite co-founding a policy think tank, Urban Ocean Lab, it took me way too long to realize that cultural change usually comes before policy change. This was true for civil rights. This was true for gay marriage and the people in this room shape culture. You have so much power to accelerate climate action, to inspire your crowds and shift the status quo. You can write romcoms and songs about climate solutions, design products for circularity, support key policies. Come see me at table six if you want to talk about what you specifically can do. I will personally help you figure out how to make the biggest difference. But what everyone definitely needs to do is speak up. Because right now, two out of three Americans rarely or never hear about climate on the news or on social media. And as long as that silence continues, there is no chance we are going to solve this and do not let climate deniers scare you. They may be loud and too many of them are running our government right now, but they are only 15% of Americans. You may think that climate is not your issue, but it affects everything. Whether you care about national security and food security, public health and racial justice, robust infrastructure and low energy bills, outdoor concerts and sporting events, scuba diving on coral reefs, skiing on real snow. Having ice thick enough for ice fishing. Maybe you like eating chocolate or peaches, drinking wine or coffee, or just your house not getting swallowed by the ocean. Climate is your issue. And if you're concerned about immigration now, we are poised to see the largest and fastest migration of people in human history. Hundreds of millions of people will have to relocate as climate change renders their places unlivable. It's all intertwined. And as usual, the people with the fewest resources will be the ones to get screwed first. But even if you have a bunker in New Zealand, climate change is coming for you too. And we are not all going to Mars. So if you care about the future at all, you need to care about nature and act on that care. Use your platforms and your votes. Leverage your networks and your dollars. And where you keep your money is probably the biggest part of your personal carbon footprint. Actually, even bigger than flying. So please divest. Call your money manager in the morning first thing. Tell them you don't want a single one of your dollars funding oil or gas or coal. And then move toward a plant based diet. And remember, we already have the solutions we need. And it's not all or nothing. Every 10th of a degree of warming, we prevent every inch of sea level rise. We avoid every increasingly unnatural disaster that we prevent, every species we save, every bit of nature we protect and restore. It all matters. Addressing the climate crisis is the work of all of our lifetimes. So I invite you to join me and act as if you love the future and be tenacious on behalf of life on earth. 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