Environmental Influencers Using TikTok To Fight Climate Change 2022

‍

Here are five TikTok environmental influencers to follow:

‍

TikTok Activist Tara Bella Rose

‍

Tara Rose is an Australian TikTok environmental influencer who shares her passion for saving the planet through TikTok. Since homestyle rustic sketches went viral in January 2020, Tara has been making waves with her TikTok videos. Rose often creates humorous content to make conversations around climate change more engaging.

‍

“I can remember the first time I decided to use TikTok to spread awareness about climate change”. Says Tara Bella Rose. 

‍

 “I was watching Blue Planet 2 (The documentary produced by David Attenborough), and there was a scene where the baby turtles were confused by the street lights.

‍

They followed the streetlights inland, onto the roads, into the drains and plastic cups. After watching the documentary, I posted a TikTok about misguided turtles. I found that many people were also interested in this kind of content and sharing information about the planet.” 

‍

Tara has gained over 583k followers on TikTok by spreading important information about climate change.

‍

"If you want to get a message out there, then TikTok is the place to go. The TikTok algorithm means anyone can go viral, regardless of their follower count.” 

‍

‍

EcoTok

‍

One of the leaders of the climate change movement on Tiktok is EcoTok. The EcoTok account is a platform where many different TikToker's share their creative content collectively. At the height of quarantine, the new platform EcoTok launched with the mission to create a community of climate carers.

One of the main contributors to Eco Tok is Carissa Cabrera, a marine biologist and environmental activist from Hawaii. Cabrera has been creating TikToks for over five years now and has reached a large audience with her educational content.

In an interview with Cabrera, she explained that "Eco Tok started with a group of people looking for an outlet to share their frustrations. Climate change is a daunting subject that can be hard to face alone. Our early arrival into TikTok has helped us build a committed, strong community". 

EcoTok has grown a following of over 116k, and they have around five regular contributors each week. Their content focuses on using green screens to educate viewers about the consequences of climate change and innovative videos that show you ways to live more sustainably. 

‍

When I asked Cabero about the impact she believes EcoTok can have, she replied:

‍

"There is a clear need for social media activism. You can reach so many more people and inspire them to take action. We have had amazing opportunities to work with large campaigns such as TED and Gates Ventures.

‍

Nevertheless, I believe Ecotok has had the most positive impact on the community we have created and continue to build. TikTok allows you to talk directly to the camera and connect better with viewers, and replying to comments allows you to engage directly with your followers' questions.

‍This way, we can come up with climate change solutions collectively."

‍

‍Palau 

‍

It's not only influencers who are realising the potential of TikTok. Many businesses have also started to utilise TikTok to promote their eco products. Palau's new eco app has immersed itself in the Gen Z trends, taking full advantage of the flourishing platform to accelerate its business.

Palau the app works by showing consumers the ecological impact of their food products. Palau's TikTok page ranges from videos on crazy animal names to gloomy talking planets. Palau is continuously coming up with creative methods to communicate information about climate change.

In an interview with the Marketing Manager of Palau, Emilio Morla, he explained:

‍

"People come to TikTok to unwind from the stresses of everyday life. They don't want to be overwhelmed with daunting information about climate change.

Therefore, it's important when talking about a tough subject like climate change, we take a creative, light-hearted approach whilst still producing thought-provoking content."

‍

‍

TikTok Activist Climate Diva

‍

Another TikTok environmental influencer is storm is Summer Dean, aka Climate Diva. Summer's platform brings a light-hearted and creative approach to climate change and sustainable fashion. Her videos are short and easily digestible, which explains her large number of followers. 

Summer likes to remain open and honest with her followers about the challenges we face when making climate-conscious decisions. Unlike some rigorous climate activists, Summer recognises that most of us are not in a position to change our lives at the flick of a switch. 

In an interview for Ace, Summer speaks out about the potential problems with "gatekeeping activism."

‍

Gatekeeping activism" means trying to tell people that whatever they're doing to spark change or raise awareness isn't the 'right' way to do it. Many well-meaning activists spread this whitewashed narrative of sustainability that you have to do things right all the time to be an activist. 

‍You have to be 100% vegan, buy absolutely no plastic, and never purchase fast fashion….what good does it do to fight each other about our environmental footprint when the more significant policies and systems in place prevent us from living sustainably in the first place?

‍