Europe

Entomologist Sepp Settele warned that a million species faced extinction, yet refused to give in to pessimism

Josef Settele turned a childhood butterfly collection into a career in agricultural ecology. As one of three co-chairs of the 2019 IPBES Global Assessment, he helped warn that around a million species faced extinction, yet he kept arguing against despair.

Germany

Christine von Weizsäcker was a leading voice in biodiversity diplomacy

Christine von Weizsäcker helped shape international biodiversity agreements and championed the rights of Indigenous peoples in negotiations. A biologist, she argued that mistakes were inevitable and that societies must guard against those whose consequences could not be undone.