Climate Insider Brief
- The following is a list of ten prominent people lending their voices in the fight against climate change.
- The list includes people advocating for climate action, in sectors spanning academia, international organisations, government and politics.
- Organisations, groups, and individuals have been diligently working to find and implement climate solutions.
Organisations, groups, and individuals have been diligently working to find and implement climate solutions. From green finance to indigenous land activism, this list honours those making breakthroughs in the fight against climate change. The following 10 people have had an influential voice advocating for climate action, in sectors spanning academia, international organisations, government and politics.
- Anne Hidalgo, Mayor City of Paris
About Anne Hidalgo
Anne Hidalgo has served as the mayor of Paris since 2014. Leveraging the disruption caused by COVID-19, she transformed many of the city’s most traffic-congested areas into cycle-friendly neighborhoods. In December 2015, she co-hosted the Climate Summit for Local Leaders with Michael Bloomberg, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change, before being elected chair of C40 Cities, an organization uniting 90 leading global cities on climate change issues. In 2018, CityLab stated that Paris under Hidalgo “could be a model for how cities can mitigate and plan for climate change.”
- Anthony Nyong, Director for Climate Change and Green Growth, African Devlopment Bank Group
About Anthony Nyong
Anthony Nyong is currently the Director of Climate Change and Green Growth at the African Development Bank Group, where he leads initiatives to transition Africa to low-carbon and climate-resilient development. In his previous roles at the AfDB, Nyong spearheaded efforts to integrate climate change policies across the AfDB’s development initiatives and coordinated the New Deal on Energy for Africa.
- Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, African Union Commission
About Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko
Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko is a prominent African agronomist and the current Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture of the African Union Commission. She previously served as the special adviser to the Minister of Agriculture and the ministry’s Ambassador for Climate Change. She is a distinguished speaker at international organisations, including the African Development Bank and the World Trade Organization.
- Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
About Patricia Espinosa
Patricia Espinosa is a Mexican politician and diplomat, and the former Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The UNFCCC secretariat is responsible for supporting the global response to the threat of climate change. Its goal is to achieve consensus on stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations to prevent dangerous interference with the climate system. This is accomplished by facilitating intergovernmental negotiations, providing technical expertise and assistance, and informing the public about progress on climate action. Espinosa has also served as Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs and its ambassador to Austria, Germany, Slovenia, and Slovakia.
- Debbie Raphael, Former Director, San Francisco Department of the Environment
About Debbie Raphael
Debbie Raphael is an American scientist and public servant. She is the former Director of the San Francisco Department of the Environment and previously served as Environmental Program Manager in Santa Monica. She was instrumental in introducing pioneering policies on rooftop solar panels and electric vehicle chargers, and in setting the ambitious goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
- Rick Kriseman, Mayor St Petersburg Florida
About Rick Kriseman
Rick Kriseman is the mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida. In recognition of his commitment to environmental action, the city was recently named the twentieth winning city in Bloomberg’s American Cities Climate Challenge, a program that collaborates with cities to accelerate their climate change efforts. Under his leadership, St. Petersburg has launched an innovative plan to reduce air pollution, implement a community solar program, and increase renewable energy financing.
- Amal-Lee Amin, Chief of Climate Change Division, Inter-American Development Bank
About Amal-Lee Amin
Amal-Lee Amin is the Chief of the Climate Change Division at the Inter-American Development Bank. She played a pivotal role in designing and implementing their Climate Investment Funds. Previously, she was instrumental in the design of a new Green Investment Bank for the UK government and led negotiations at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002.
- Debra Roberts, Co-Chair, Working Group II, International Panel on Climate Change
About Debra Roberts
Debra Roberts is the director and founder of the Environmental Planning and Climate Protection Department at eThekwini Municipality in South Africa, where she leads their Climate Protection Program. She recently received the AfriCAN Climate Research Award for her pioneering projects that have established Durban as a global leader in climate change adaptation. Notably, she played a key role in the Durban Adaptation Charter for Local Governments, a partnership agreement aimed at enhancing local government strategies against climate change, which was signed by over 100 cities worldwide in 2011.
- Helen Mountford, CEO and President, ClimateWorks Foundation
About Helen Mountford
Helen Mountford is the CEO and President of ClimateWorks Foundation, a global platform that organises and coordinates philanthropy to drive and scale innovative climate solutions. Previously, she served as the Vice President of Climate and Economics at the World Resources Institute (WRI), where her team supported policymakers, businesses, and civil society in identifying and advancing the structural changes required to effectively address climate change.
- James Thornton, CEO, ClientEarth
About James Thornton
James Thornton is an environmental lawyer and social entrepreneur who has served as the founding CEO of ClientEarth, Europe’s first public interest environmental law organization, since 2007. The New Statesman magazine has named him one of the 10 people who could change the world, and The Financial Times awarded him a Special Achievement accolade at their 2016 Innovative Lawyers Awards. Previously, as the founder of the Citizens’ Enforcement Project at NRDC in New York, he led 80 federal lawsuits against corporations to enforce the Clean Water Act.
