Jane Goodall is world-famous for her research with chimpanzees. Now her attention is turning to a different crowd | CNN

Editor’s note: Calling the Earth is CNN’s editorial series dedicated to reporting on the environmental challenges facing our planet and their solutions. , and inspire positive action.

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In 1960, on the shores of Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania, a young British woman determined to change our understanding of primates forever.

Jane Goodall challenged traditional scientific methods and delved into the jungle, resulting in groundbreaking discoveries about chimpanzees; most notably, they use tools, are omnivores, and are socially complex creatures.

More than sixty years later, her unorthodox field work and her conservation work are still praised around the world.

Today, the recently turned 90-year-old’s work looks a little different, taking place mostly indoors and with different crowds. Goodall helps young people create change in their communities through her Roots and Shoots program. For her, this work is equally important.

CNN recently interviewed Goodall during a trip to South Africa, where she observed a number of projects being undertaken by local students in Johannesburg as part of Roots & Shoots.

The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.

CNN: The younger generation has a lot to learn from their elders. Who has made an impact on your life?

Goodall: I think the exchange of information between elders and young people is very important. I’m really lucky; I have an amazing mother. I was born with a love for animals and she supported that love for animals. When I was one and a half years old, she walked into my room and found me placing a handful of wriggling earthworms on my bed.Most mothers will [said]oh, throw away these dirty things [away]. She just said, Jane, I think they might die without the earth, and you’d better take them out into the garden. As a result, she developed in me an inherent love for all insects, birds, animals, and everyone around me.

CNN: Roots & Shoots is active in 70 countries, and thousands of young people are making an impact in their communities. Where did the program come from?

Goodall: When I started Roots and Shoots in Tanzania in 1991, it was because I met young people who were losing hope. Young people who feel that marriage harms their future. The reasons for their loss of hope are obvious: climate change, loss of biodiversity. I could go on listing, listing, listing, but when they say there’s nothing they can do about it, I’m like, no, that’s not true.

We identified the key messages of Roots & Shoots [would be that] Everyone has a role to play.We need to think holistically about how to help The environment, people and animals, because we are all interconnected. This is where things begin.

CNN: What is the most important message to convey to the younger generation?

Goodall: My goal is to help young people understand that windows of time exist [to save the planet].Unfortunately, today I [still] Meet the growing number of people who are losing hope.Many people feel helpless and hopeless because [they question] What can they do as individuals?

But what people must understand is that when 2 million, 1 billion, 2 billion, 3 billion people take small actions to make the world a better place, that is changing the world. It’s important that people understand that, as individuals, what they do has an impact. Not because they are alone, but because they are not alone.

CNN: Does climate innovation and technology give you hope?

GOODALL: Yeah, I think if we look around at what’s happening on Earth, we need to seize on every little thing we can do to help us get out of this disaster that we’ve created. If we look at solar, wind and tidal power, those things are good.

The problem is getting government support.Therefore, governments tend to invest money in the fossil fuel industry Rather than supporting emerging technologies that enable us to live more harmoniously with the natural world. If we don’t, our future is doomed. Unfortunately, this is not only our future, but the future of many other animals that many of us love. We must act now.

CNN: What is your message to the world?

GOODALL: The message to the world is, don’t forget that as an individual, you have an impact on the environment every day. You choose what impact you want to make. I think once everyone understands that their role, no matter who they are, is extremely important, then we’ll be on our way to a better world.