11 young climate leaders on how today’s youth can make a difference 🌍
On 12 August, for International Youth Day, we launched a new Youth and Intergenerational Climate Justice Theme on weADAPT – a hub dedicated to showcasing young people’s climate adaptation work and amplifying their voices. There, you will find content relevant to youth and intergenerational climate justice, as well as opportunities such as courses, trainings, events, fellowships, and funding to support their efforts.
A key mission of the theme is to spotlight the leaders driving change. Meet 11 inspiring young climate leaders (presented alphabetically), explore what fuels their passion for climate action, and learn about their insights on how today’s youth can make a difference.
Name: Prayash Adhikari (he/him)
Senior Program Officer at Digo Bikas Institute
Country: Nepal
Prayash is a committed activist advocating for peasant agroecology and climate justice on local, national, and international platforms. He is currently Senior Program Officer at Digo Bikas Institute, a research and advocacy organization focused on grassroots interventions and movement-building approaches to address systemic inequality and environmental crises. With a postgraduate degree in agri-botany and conservation ecology (Agriculture and Forestry University), he also serves as a founding advisor of different regional and national youth networks focused on agroecology and climate action. Prayash has been actively engaged on multiple global platforms, including UNFCCC COP27 and COP28, where he sought to represent civil society and amplify marginalized voices. He has authored articles on gender, agriculture, and climate change.
How do you think young people can make a real difference in addressing the climate crisis?
“Youth are essential to addressing the climate crisis and building a clean, just, and resilient world. We are both the present and the inspiration for future generations, and it’s clear this crisis cannot be solved without dismantling the current system of intergenerational injustice. This chain can only be broken by young people, working from the ground up. With the right awareness, critical thinking, and community experience, youth are actively engaged in research, advocacy, and implementing community-based climate solutions, which are crucial for creating lasting change.”
Name: Toini T.D. Amutenya (she/her)
Founder and Executive Director, National Climate Action Network of Namibia
Country: Namibia
Toini started her journey, a decade ago, as an environmental educator and researcher, and later developed an interest in advocating for climate justice. She founded the National Climate Action Network of Namibia (Youth4CAN) in 2019 as Eco Learning Lab – where she now sits as Executive Director. Youth4CAN promotes radical youth-led climate action for sustainable development and promotes citizen-awareness (with a focus on youth) of the impacts of climate change, empowering them to be champions to drive local solutions. Today the network has grown to have representation in all 14 regions of Namibia and has implemented projects in 5 Regions. Their vision is to radically implement youth-led, just and evidence-based climate action across all 14 regions of Namibia and assist the nation in achieving its 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets.
How do you think young people can make a real difference in addressing the climate crisis?
“Youth can make a real difference by becoming innovators – blending traditional knowledge with scientific approaches to create modern adaptive solutions. Fellow youths should lead the way in building green skills, motivating green industries, and supporting a shift toward renewable energy sources. By championing a fair and just transition, youth can help transform economies and societies, ensuring that environmental and social equity are prioritized.”
Name: Carolina Cuesta Crosa (she/her)
Uruguay Coordinator, Fridays for Future International
Country: Uruguay
Carolina is a climate activist with Fridays for Future Uruguay, an Environmental Engineering Student, and an Ecofeminist. She coordinates workshops for teenagers and children on Environmental Education, Youth Empowerment, and Youth-Led Initiatives in collaboration with UNICEF Uruguay, PNUD Uruguay, local schools, and NGOs. Carolina is a co-founder of the Youth Network for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas and the Caribbean, as well as the Youth Network for Climate Justice in Uruguay. Additionally, she is a member of the Youth Consultative Group for the “Green Map” project, which maps youth environmental action in Uruguay. Beyond her professional work, Carolina is a skilled “mate” maker and an avid reader of Paulo Freire.
How do you think young people can make a real difference in addressing the climate crisis?
“Organizing themselves. I believe that the best way to recognize ourselves as leading agents for a just transition is by organizing, socializing the difficulties and barriers we face, and problematizing them. This approach of community resilience, networked work, and empathy will allow us to mobilize from a new way of relating: more human, tender, joyful, and collective. This is the biggest difference we can make: being pioneers in committing to collective change and working from that paradigm.”
Name: Sylvain Djérambété (he/him)
National Director, International Student Environment Coalition (Chad)
Country: Chad
Sylvain is an award-winning climate leader from Chad, serving as Youth4Climate Delegate and Max Thabiso Edkins Climate Ambassador. Under his leadership, International Student Environment Coalition (ISEC) Chad is transforming Chad’s environmental landscape, reaching thousands of people, planting trees and creating environmental clubs in schools. The organization also inaugurated the country’s first University Campus for Sustainability, and set up a school-based plastic waste management program and an educational ecological transition program. In 2023, he was recognized with QS ImpACT’s Campus Sustainability Pioneer of the Year Award for his visionary leadership and dedication to shaping a sustainable future.
How do you think young people can make a real difference in addressing the climate crisis?
“I believe that as today’s youth, we have a unique perspective and a proactive vision on climate issues. This enables us to see innovative solutions that other generations might overlook. We are aware that we are not only tomorrow’s leaders, but also today’s, and we are committed to creating a green future. Our energy, creativity and empathy are powerful driving forces for protecting the planet. We understand that our dreams and aspirations cannot be realized without a liveable environment.”
Name: Natalia Gómez Solano (she/her)
Master’s student in International Land and Water Management, Wageningen University
Country: Costa Rica (currently based in the Netherlands)
Natalia is an environmental engineer and a Master’s student in International Land and Water Management at Wageningen University. With extensive experience in climate change adaptation, governance, risk reduction, and youth engagement, she has supported international organizations, local governments and NGOs in adaptation planning and finance. She is a co-founder and member of the Advisory Committee of the Youth Network for Disaster Risk Reduction of the Americas and the Caribbean, an Associate of the NGO La Ruta del Clima, and a Member of a local socio-environmental group in her hometown called Tatiscú Colectivo Ambiental. She is a Former Special Adviser on Youth to the European Commissioner on International Partnerships and she was the Co-Chair of the NDC Partnership Youth Task Force for the creation of the Youth Engagement Plan in NDCs. She also co-founded the Costa Rican Youth and Climate Change Network, for which she was President in 2021-2022.
What inspires you the most to act on Climate Change?
“I’m inspired by the possibility of transformation and by the collective action happening all around us. While the climate crisis is undeniably complex, requiring multi-sector, multi-actor, multi-dimensional approaches, I find motivation in knowing that my efforts contribute to something greater. Collaboration, cooperation, diversity, and shared purpose fuel my optimism. I believe that together, we can drive the transition toward fairer societies that prioritize both environmental sustainability and social well-being.”
Name: Mariam M. Hussein (she/her)
Co-founder and Deputy Director, Hawa Feminist Coalition
Country: Somalia
Mariam is a young feminist activist who has been actively advocating for the safety, equality, justice, rights, and dignity of young women and girls in Somalia, who bear the unequal brunt of hardships caused by climate-induced displacement, poverty, and conflict. Mariam is a co-founder and deputy director of Hawa Feminist Coalition, the first and only young feminist movement in Somalia. The Coalition seeks to mobilize and empower young women and girls through feminist solidarity, building a strong feminist movement capable of challenging the pervasive sexual and gender-based violence in Somalia. Mariam has mobilized and trained more than 300 young women in feminist activism and leadership, which contributed to building a feminist movement in Somalia. She was recognized and listed at WOW’s Young Leaders 2020.
What inspires you the most to act on Climate Change?
“Somalia is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change. I am inspired by the vulnerable women and girls who have been displaced by drought and who are disproportionately affected by climate change. They bear an unfair burden from these crises and are facing the highest and most alarming gender-based violence, such as rape, sexual harassment, domestic violence, child abuse, early and forced marriage, and female genital mutilation or cutting. These forms of violence are classified as significant human rights violations under international law and have devastating consequences for their health and lives.”
Name: Ismaela Magliotto Quevedo (she/her)
Executive Director, Uno.Cinco
Country: Chile
Ismaela is an Environmental Engineer from Valparaíso, Chile. She co-founded and is the Executive Director of the NGO Uno.Cinco (One.Five), a youth-led organization dedicated to advancing just climate action and energy transition across Chile and Latin America, by empowering local communities and youth. She was also a young Negotiator at COP27 and an Alumns IVLP “The Climate Crisis” and ClimateXChange Community.
What inspires you the most to act on Climate Change?
“What drives me to act on climate change is a principle I learned in the scouts at age 9: “Leave the world a little better than you found it.” Since then, I’ve dedicated my studies and professional growth to combating the climate crisis. My greatest motivation is ensuring a habitable planet. While youths are often seen as “the future generations,” we are here today with the energy and conviction to create change. I believe in taking initiative—our future isn’t something to wait for, but something we must shape now. Together, we can change the world. Let’s make it happen.”
Name: Alab Mirasol (she/her)
National Coordinator, Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines
Country: Philippines
Alab is a climate justice activist based in Manila, Philippines. She has an undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of the Philippines with the interest of ecology and community-centered conservation. She comes from a family of activists – with her indigenous roots on her mom’s side and her dad being a land defender – and vows to continue the resistance of her family. She is an organizer of climate strikes since 2019 and is now the convenor and national coordinator of Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines (YACAP) — the Fridays for Future of the country.
How do you think young people can make a real difference in addressing the climate crisis?
“As young people, we are among the most vulnerable to the climate crisis and will bear the brunt of its worst impacts in the long term. Yet, we are also a revolutionary generation. Across the globe, young people have successfully raised the bar for ambition in policies and among world leaders. They have linked the climate crisis to broader social justice issues, brought the urgency of the climate crisis into the spotlight, relentlessly demanded change, and reinvigorated the global climate movement. The climate movement is driven by young leaders, but we need everyone on board—collective action is crucial!”
Name: Willy Missack (he/him)
Ph.D student (Victoria University of Wellington); Founder and Director, Learn to Serve Vanuatu; Loss and Damage negotiator for the Vanuatu Government.
Country: Vanuatu
Willy Missack, also known by his Indigenous name as Iaruel Matua, is a Ph.D. student Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington and the Founder & Executive Director of a youth-led community-based organization, Learn to Serve Vanuatu. He serves as a Loss and Damage negotiator for the Vanuatu government and supports community development through projects like climate-proof water systems that provide clean drinking water to communities, schools, and dispensaries. His adaptation work focuses on empowering communities and grassroots organizations to access climate funds, promoting smart agriculture, and helping local farmers adopt climate-resistant crops.
How do you think young people can make a real difference in addressing the climate crisis?
“I was one of the initiators of the global youth movement that launched the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion (ICJAO) on climate change, which was later led by Pacific Island Students Fighting Climate Change (PISFCC). The movement reached a major milestone when the United Nations adopted the ICJAO in March 2023. This demonstrates the incredible power of youth to drive global change. I firmly believe that today’s youth, with their time, capacity, and potential, will bring transformative solutions to address the climate crisis and reshape our world.”
Name: Tuan K. Nguyen (they/them)
Bachelor’s student in Culture and Politics, Georgetown University (Qatar)
Country: Vietnam (based in Qatar)
Tuan is a Bachelor’s student in Culture and Politics (with a concentration on Climate Fiction) at Georgetown University in Qatar and a Fellow with the Ecological Belonging Fellowship by the Wellbeing Project. Focused on climate adaptation in the Global South, they have led initiatives like symposiums with ex-Greenpeace director Kumi Naidoo and designed floating houses using Vedic bricks to combat flooding in Bihar. Tuan’s work prioritizes decentralizing climate activism and promoting grassroots movements that emphasize local collaboration over reliance on first-world technology. As an Ecological Belonging Fellow, they are currently collaborating with The Doha Players to stage Apardia, their sci-fi play on the postcolonial Anthropocene. They also engage with Southeast Asian activists through Plan International’s Youth Leadership Academy and are pitching a locally-led circular economy plan with Samsung in Vietnam.
What inspires you the most to act on Climate Change?
“I perceive climate change as the crossroad between environmental injustice and social inequity. Climate change-induced impacts are universal yet disproportionate: Racial minorities, female populations, the LGBTQ+ community and the likes, are the least represented in positions of power yet are the most vulnerable to climate change. This intersectionality drives me to design solutions that are scientifically efficient and inclusive. Fundamental to my motivation is the potential to detach grassroots, locally-empowered movements from dependency on multinational corporations and former colonial powers by relocating the voices of those most affected into the center of policy-making.”
Name: Christine Ogola (she/her)
National Coordinator for the African Youth Initiative on Climate Change
Country: Kenya
Christine is the National Coordinator for the African Youth Initiative on Climate Change (AYICC) in Kenya and a proud member of YOUNGO, the UNFCCC Children and Youth constituency, passionately advocating for climate justice, youth participation, and gender inclusion. As an alumna of the Ban Ki-moon Centre and the Young African Leaders Initiative, her work empowers marginalized communities—women, youth, persons with disabilities, and indigenous peoples—to engage in climate governance. She promotes sustainable farming and poverty reduction to enhance climate resilience, earning recognition such as Africa’s Top 40 Under 40 and the Global Livelihoods Impact Award by VSO. Her mission is to drive community-led climate solutions through collaborative approaches and by empowering youth to lead intergenerational dialogues that integrate climate action with policies, financing, and access to information.
What inspires you the most to act on Climate Change?
“The resilience and determination of marginalized communities facing its harshest impacts is what inspires me most. Seeing how vulnerable groups continue to fight for their livelihoods and the environment fills me with a deep sense of responsibility to amplify their voices. Their strength fuels my passion for creating platforms where these communities can access information, resources, influence policy, and build resilience against climate shocks. The world has enough to offer to everyone, and it is our collective duty to ensure that no one is left behind.”
Further resources
Toolkit for youth on adaptation and leadership
Leading the way : How Indigenous youth combat climate change through land rights
Youth Climate Justice Handbook: Summary for policymakers
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