On Earth Day, activists are celebrated as part of a larger, unseen story of environmental victories. The Goldman Environmental Prize honours six women for the first time in its 37-year history, who have secured significant victories for their communities and ecosystems, including landmark climate rulings in South Korea and the UK, stopping extractive projects in Colombia and the US, and protecting ecosystems in Papua New Guinea and Nigeria. Despite these victories, environmental activism can be deadly, with at least 2,253 environmental defenders killed or disappeared between 2012 and 2024. Activists often face constant risk and sometimes even violence to protect the planet.