Colombia's environmental movement faces a setback as far-right president Abelardo de la Espriella, who favors fossil fuel exploitation, takes office. Activists like Yuvelis Morales Blanco vow to continue fighting for natural resources and rights despite the government's shift from the previous administration's energy transition focus.
The 2026 Goldman Environmental Prize awarded six women from around the globe for their environmental activism. This marked the first all-women cohort in the prize's 37-year history, highlighting women's central role in environmental protection.
Nigerian ecologist Iroro Tanshi has won the Goldman Environmental Prize for her community-led campaign protecting endangered short-tailed roundleaf bats at Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary in southeastern Nigeria. Tanshi discovered the bats just days before a wildfire threatened them, then launched fire brigades and education programs to prevent wildfires and change local perceptions of bats, which are often associated with witchcraft in Nigeria. The campaign has prevented serious wildfires in the 24,700-acre sanctuary between 2022 and May 2025.
