Tori Tsui Explained

Tori Tsui
Nationality:Hong Konger
Occupation:Climate Justice Activist and Writer

Tori Tsui is a Hong Kong climate justice activist, author, model and spokesperson who currently resides in Bristol, England.

Early life and education

Tsui was born in Auckland, New Zealand and grew up in Hong Kong.[1]

She graduated in 2015 with a Master of Research in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation at Imperial College London.[2] A year after graduating, Tsui moved to Bristol to work in the natural history documentary industry.[3]

Activism

Tsui was involved in extinction rebellion. After creating media on the biodiversity crisis the creative director of Stella McCartney invited Tsui to model McCartney's global fall/winter campaign. The campaign, entitled ‘Agents of Change’, featured Jane Goodall, Amber Valletta and Jonathan Safran Foer.[4]

McCartney subsequently sponsored Tsui to sail across the Atlantic to COP25 as part of Sail To The COP - a think tank initiative involving 36 youths to attend the 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Santiago, Chile. Due to civil unrest in Chile, the event was relocated to Madrid. While in Martinique, the delegates worked remotely on COP25. The ship finally docked in Cartagena.

While in Colombia, Tsui spent three months facilitating a new project called Sail for Climate Action. The project's purpose was to bring Latin American, Indigenous and Caribbean youth activists to attend the United Nations Climate Change Intersessional SB52 in Bonn, Germany.[5] In Cartagena, Tsui was invited to replace David Wallace-Wells at the Hay Festival in a panel discussion on climate change.[6]

Later, Sail for Climate Action was rebranded to Unite for Climate Action.[7] The project collaborated with the German Ministry in 2020.[8]

In 2021, Tsui launched the Pass the Mic initiative with Dominique Palmer, Frances Fox, George Steedman Jones and Elijah Mckenzie-Jackson called Pass the Mic as a way to shed light on the climate crisis. The campaign was focused on targeting brands, figures and organisation to give the frontline climate activist and people affected by the climate change.[9]

Tsui has also spoken out on the #StopCambo Campaign against North Sea oil and gas in decision making spaces, leading a protest against Ben Van Beurden at TED Countdown in Edinburgh. Later that year she attended the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference.[10] Emma Watson invited Tsui to participate in a New York Times climate hub event alongside Amanda Gorman, Malala Yousafzai, Greta Thunberg, Vanessa Nakate, Dominique Palmer, Mya-Rose Craig, Viviam Villafana and Daphne Frias.[11]

In January 2023, Tsui was invited to be on the digital front cover of Vogue with Billie Eilish and Quannah Chasinghorse, Xiye Bastida, Isaias Hernandez, Ryan Berberet, Nalleli Cobo, Wawa Gatheru and Maya Penn.[12]

Tsui works with Brian Eno's organisation EarthPercent.[13]

Publications

Tsui released her debut book, It's Not Just You (Simon and Schuster) in 2023. The book features interviews from Greta Thunberg, Vanessa Nakate, Mikaela Loach and Dominique Palmer.[14] The book was shortlisted for the 2024 Wainwright Prize for Writing on Conservation.[15]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ng . Chanel . Tori Tsui: an Intersectional Approach to the Climate Crisis . 2022-03-17 . Asian Environmental Youth Network . en-US.
  2. Web site: Sail to the COP Participants . 2022-03-17 . www.sailtothecop.com . en.
  3. Web site: 2020-02-21 . Life As I Know It: Sail for Climate Action's Tori Tsui . 2022-03-17 . Eco-Age . en-GB.
  4. Web site: 2019-07-27 . Agents of Change: Stella McCartney's new FW/19 campaign . 2022-03-17 . latestmagazine . it.
  5. Web site: Skincare . Activist . Mental Health & Climate Activist Tori Tsui . 2022-03-18 . Activist Skincare . en.
  6. Web site: Berridge . George . Red Lionfish and Black Vultures . 2022-01-26 . TLS . en.
  7. Web site: About Us . 2022-03-18 . U4CA . en.
  8. Web site: Tori Tsui on being a climate activist . 2022-03-18 . besea.n . en-US.
  9. Web site: 2021-10-30 . Beyond Extinction Rebellion: the protest groups fighting on the climate frontline . 2022-03-18 . the Guardian . en.
  10. Web site: Wan . Jess . 2022-03-04 . In Conversation With Tori Tsui, Intersectional Climate Justice Activist and Co-Founder of 'Bad Activist Collective' . 2022-03-18 . Shades Of Noir . en-GB.
  11. Web site: Chan . Emily . 2021-11-05 . Emma Watson Is Back Being A Book Fairy For Cop26 . 2023-01-25 . Vogue. en-GB.
  12. Web site: Wang . Jen . 2023-04-01 . Our Future: Billie Eilish on Climate Activism and Radical Hope . Vogue. en-GB.
  13. Web site: Tori Tsui – The Good Clothes Show . 2024-08-08 . thegoodclothesshow.com.
  14. Vogue. Diyora . Shadijanova. 4 January 2023 . Tori Tsui Is Changing the Conversation Around Mental Health and the Climate Crisis . 29 July 2024. en-US.
  15. Web site: Shortlist . 2024-08-20 . Wainwright Prize . en-GB.