Why preservation of both people and the planet, is the next venture for Amal Clooney.
Amal Clooney is best known for human rather than environmental advocacy. But at the Greenbuild 2018 Conference we saw a new side to the human rights lawyer – one that followed the conference’s mantra that society’s ills can only be solved by proper intersection of humanity and the wider environment.
Amal’s energy for environmental projects may never be as great as her human rights advocacy – it’s not what she’s committed decades to – but that arguably makes her interest even more commendable.
“The pursuit of human rights is one that is intrinsically linked to the pursuit of the environment, because both are equally dependent on each other,” she says. “If we’re not at one with ourselves, we’re never going to move forward into the next realm which is to look after the environment.”
The floods, droughts, wildfires, hurricanes, and unstable food supplies resulting from climate change, she adds, all contribute to human crises like an increase in refuges and political instability.
“It means harmony and equilibrium between human and environmental factors are intrinsic to each other, so we have to be passionate about both.”
Amal has been steered in this direction by husband George Clooney, a vociferous environmentalist. Together, they set up the Clooney Foundation in 2016.
“George inspires me in much the same way as he says I inspire him. If you care for someone, you invest in their passions and the drive to make change,” says the lawyer.
“He is a tremendous support and has opened my eyes to another side to justice, for the planet, and I do cherish that.”
While Amal benefits from inherent beauty, wealth, and celebrity status, what makes her so engaging is something separate that cannot be learned or taught: that innate ability to light up the room. Plus, she’s capable of speaking to anyone at any level.
“I think a part of us needs to relearn the art of conversation and compassion,” she says. “What’s happened across the world in the last few years has provided real challenges, and we need to stick together.”
