Thomas Csillag Finger (he/him), is an environmental activist, driven by a mission to bridge the gap between scientific innovation and policy making. With a background in biodiversity conservation, and scientific and political outreach, Thomas aims to use his biological sciences studies to work on finding innovative solutions for pressing environmental problems, such as carbon capture and ecosystemic imbalances and protecting marine ecosystems. He believes that bringing a scientific perspective of the environmental crisis to global policy will contribute to oceanic biodiversity conservation.
His journey in activism took off in 2019, when he saw the skies of his city, São Paulo, Brazil, turned gray as the ashes from the Amazonian Rainforest, more than 3 thousand kilometers away, were brought by the “Flying Rivers”. Such an alarming event, which is becoming more frequent, had a pivotal effect, making him commit to act. He became Brazil’s youngest member of Climate Reality Leadership Corps at 14, and later a state coordinator for the organization. At age 15, he took part with more than 10,000 people demonstrating on the streets for the environment, and participating in the organization of two global strikes for climate.
Thomas firmly believes that his experience as Climate Reality’s São Paulo State Coordinator and as an Youth activist, instilled in him the capability of leading change and working on implementing solutions for environmental and social problems.
As Thomas became more environmentally aware he realized the interconnectedness of systemic problems, such as the correlation between microplastics and health problems. He then started exploring alternative solutions to global crises, getting to know the positive scientific developments being made. As a result, together with a group of friends, he became a founding member of the Youth Scientists Brazil Magazine, a youth-led science publication that works in the democratization of scientific knowledge, reaching thousands of people. Such a position enabled him to represent youth in conferences and events nationwide in defending and speaking about science, sustainability and equity to important stakeholders in science publishing. In 2023 his project received recognition from Brazil’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, and from Exame, Brazil’s second largest news magazine.
In 2023, he became a Rise Global Winner, joining a network of young change makers. There, he was able to unite his drive to foster conservation policies and his understanding of the ocean’s crucial role in carbon capture and economic sustainability reflects Thomas’ deep awareness of how to fight to protect marine ecosystems.
At World Ocean Day’s Youth Advisory Council, he wants to continue fighting for conservation of the “Blue Amazon” biome, coral reef protection, mangroves restoration and fight to stop deep-sea mining. Using his platform to have significant contributions to environmental policies, Thomas aims to spread awareness and instill action about oceanic conservation.