Mills, 19, led a petition
drive that persuaded
the local council in
Lancaster, England,
to declare a “climate
emergency” after cata-
strophic flooding. Last
year she ran for a seat
in the European Parlia-
ment as a Green Partycandidate. She lost,
but didn’t finish last.
“One of the weirdest
things is when a teacher
comes up to you and
says, ‘I’m going to vote
for you.’ Then she
assigned me an essay
the next day.”
TOM JAMIESONROSIE MILLS
80 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC