100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN CLIMATE POLICY WORLDWIDE

Based on Nationality

​Angola

1. Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, African Union Commission, Known for: Climate-proofing African agriculture

Argentina

1. Sergio Bergman, Former Environment Minister, Argentina, Known for : Including faith-based communities in environmental legislation

Australia

1. Ove Hoeg Guldberg, Director, Global Change Institute, University of Queensland
2. Xuemei Bai, Professor, Australian National University

Austria

1. Barbara Buchner, Global Managing Director, Climate Policy Initiative, Known for: Climate finance

Bangladesh

1. Saleemul Huq, Director, International Centre for Climate Change and Development, Known for: Climate mitigation and adaptation in the global south
2. Rafiqul Islam Montu, Environmental Journalist, Known for : Coastal climate journalism and photography

Barbados

1. Mia Motley, Prime Minister of Barbados, Known for: Creating Global South Climate Partnerships

Belgium

1. Jos Delbeke, Senior Adviser, European Political Strategy Centre, European Commission

Bhutan

1. Sonam Phuntsho Wangdi, Secretary, National Environment Commission, Bhutan, Known for: Helping Bhutan achieve net zero status.

Botswana

1. Opha Pauline Dube, Professor, University of Botswana

Brazil

1. Marina Silva, Spokeswoman, Sustainability Party, Known for: Forest and livelihood protector.
2. Raoni Metuktire, Kayapo Cacique (Political Leader) & Brazilian Environmentalist Kayapo Nation, Known for: International rainforest advocacy
3. Eduardo Paes, Mayor of Rio De Janeiro, Known for: Connecting climate-conscious cities.

Canada

1. Autumn Peltier, Clean Water Activist
2. Elizabeth May, Leader, Green Party of Canad, Known for: Canada’s first green MP
3. Catherine Abreu, Founder & Executive Director, Destination Zero, known for: Building climate partnerships across Canada.
4. Naomi Klein, Author and activist

China

1. Xie Zhenhua, Special Representative for Climate Change Affairs, National Development and Reform Commission, China, Known fir: Coordinating international carbon reduction.
2. Huang Runqiu, Chinese Minister of Ecology and Environment, Known for: Orchestrating China’s foreign coal divestment
3. Ma Jun, Director, Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs

Costa Rica

1. Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, Minister of Environment and Energy, Known for: Sustainable environmental use incentives
2. Christiana Figueres, Convener, Mission 2020

Côte d’Ivoire

1. Anthony Nyong, Director for Climate Change and Green Growth, African Development Bank Group, Known for: Climate conscious development

Denmark

1. Jørgen Abildgaard,  Executive Climate Project Director, Copenhagen Known for: Copenhagen 2025 Climate Plan
2. Connie Hedegaard, Chair, OECD Round Table for Sustainable Development, Known for: Pushing European climate action

Djibouti

1. Ayan Mahamoud, Initiative on Drought Resilience Coordinator, Known for: Climate and drought resilience planner

Ecuador

1. Nemonte Nenquino, President of the Waorani of Patazo and Co-founder of Ceibo Alliance, Waorani Nation, Known for: Protector of the Ecuadorian Amazon

Eswatini

1. Jason Hickel, bi-national Eswatini and United Kingdom, Economic Anthropologist, Known for: Degrowth advocate and scholar.

France

1. Anne Hidalgo, Mayor, City of Paris, Known for: City climate transitions
2. Laurence Tubiana, CEO, European Climate Foundation

Germany

1. Jennifer Morgan, Special Representative for International Climate Policy, German Federal Foreign Office, bi national USA, Germany, Known for: Leading climate campaigner
2. Katharina Schulze, Politician, Alliance 90/The Greens party, Known for: Grassroots-party cooperation on green issues

Ghana

1. Mohammed Adjei Sowah, Former Mayor, City of Accra, Known for: Improving the environmental health of Accra
2. Mahama Kappiah, Former Executive Director, ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency

India

1. Harsh Vardhan, Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Known for: Anti-plastic bag campaigns
2. Upendra Tripathy, Director General, International Solar Alliance
3. Jyoti Kirit Parikh, Executive Director, Integrated Research and Action for Development.
4. Sunita Narain, Director General, Centre for Science and the Environment
5. Vandana Shiva, Activist

Indonesia

1. Tri Rismaharini, Minister of Social Affairs, Known for: Cleaning and greening Surabaya

Japan

1. Naoko Ishii, CEO and Chairperson, Global Environment Facility

Kenya

1. Mithika Mwenda, Co-Founder, Pan African Climate Justice Alliance

Lithuania

1. Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Commissioner for Environment, Ocean, and Fisheries, Known for: Protecting Europe's environmental integrity

Mexico

1. Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Known for: International cooperation on climate change.
2. Rodolfo Lacy, Director, Environment Directorate, OECD

Morocco

1. Mohamed Sefiani, Mayor, City of Chefchaouen, Known for: Sustainable city transitions in Morocco
2. Hakima El Haité, President, Liberal International

Pakistan

1. Ayisha Siddiqa, Co-Founder of Fossil Free University and Polluters Out, Known for: Climate justice activist and climate litigation scholar.

Portugal

1. Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, Known for: Promoting international climate action.

Qatar

1. Neeshad Shafi, Co-Founder, Arab Youth Climate Movement Qatar, Known for: Youth climate activism in the Middle East.

Rwanda

1. Agnes Kalibata, President, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, Known for: African agricultural resilience.

South Africa

1. Mpho Parks Tau, Member of the Executive Council, Economic Development for Gauteng Province, Known for: Equitable urban climate transitions
2. Debra Roberts, Co-Chair, Working Group II, International Panel on Climate Change.
3. Mark New, Director, African Climate and Development Initiative

South Korea

1. Hoesung Lee, Chair, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Known for: Chairing the IPCC

Spain

1. Teresa Ribera, Spanish Minister for Ecological Transition, Known for: Ecological transition in Spain.
2. Maria Neira, Director, Department of Public  Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health, WHO
3. Miguel Arias Cañete, Former Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, European Commission

Sweden

1. Greta Thunberg, Youth Activist, Known for: School strike for climate
2. Johan Rockström, Professor, Stockholm University

Switzerland

1. Corine Mauch, Mayor of Zurich, Known for: Ending Zurich’s gas dependency
2. Julia Steinberger, Ecological Economist, Known for: Ecological economics advocacy

Turkey

1. Fatih Birol, Executive Director, International Energy Agency, Known for: Energy transitions in developing nations.

Uganda

1. Hilda Nakabuye, Co-Founder of Fridays for Future Uganda: Known for: Advocating for African voices in climate action
2. Vanessa Nakate, Climate Activist, Known for: The first Ugandan school strike activist and founder of Youth for Future Africa
3. Dickens Kamugisha, Chief Executive Officer of Africa Institute for Energy Governance, Known for: Oil development activist and sustainable community energy leader.

United Kingdom

1. Kate Raworth, Economist, currently on the World Health Organisations' council for Known for: ‘Economics for Health of All’.
2. David Attenborough, Broadcaster and Natural Historian, Known for: Nature communications
3. Caroline Lucas, Co-Leader, Green Party, Known for: Popularizing green politics in the UK
4. Amal-Lee Amin, Chief of Climate Change Division, Inter-American Development Bank
5. Sam Fankhauser, Oxford Net Zero Research Director and Professor of Climate Economics and Policy, Known  for: Green growth research
6. Ben Caldecott, Director, Oxford Sustainable Finance Group and the Lombard Odier Associate Professor of Sustainable Finance, University of Oxford, Known for: Promoting sustainable finance
7. Myles Allen, Professor, Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford

United States

1. Bill McKibben, Co-Founder, 350.org, Known for: Founding 350.org
2. Katherine Hayhoe, Director, Climate Science Centre, Texas Tech University, Known for: Bridging climate science and communication
3. Michael Mann, Director, Earth System Science Center, Pennsylvania State University, Known for: Communicating climate change to policymakers
4. Nalleli Cobo, Activist, Stand LA Known for: Combating urban oil rigs in L.A.
5. Debbie Raphael, Former Director, San Francisco Department of the Environment, Known for: Introducing ambitious carbon neutral programs in San Francisco
6. Jay Inslee, Governor, Washington State, Known for: State-level renewable energy transitions
7. Rick Kriseman, Mayor, St Petersburg, Florida, Known for: Community solar energy projects
8. Jon Creyts, Rocky Mountain Institute CEO, Known for: Market-based climate solutions
9. Elizabeth Yeampierre, Executive Director, UPROSE, Puerto Rico
10. Helen Mountford, CEO and President, ClimateWorks Foundation, USA, Scotland
11. Jacqueline Patterson: The Chisholm Legacy Project, Founder and Executive Director, Known for: Just transitions for black communities on the frontlines of climate change.
12. James Thornton, CEO, ClientEarth
13. Laura Tuck, Vice-President, Sustainable Development, World Bank Group
14. Michael Brune, Executive Director, Sierra Club
15. Rachel Kyte, Dean at The Fletcher School at Tufts University
16. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Urban Ocean Lab Co-Founder, Known for: Ocean climate action advocacy
17. Gavin Schmidt, Director, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies
18. Gina McCarthy, Professor of the Practice of Public Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
19. James Hansen, Professor, Columbia University
20. Mark Jacobson, Professor of Civil and Envionmental Engineering, Stanford University
21. Naomi Oreskes, Professor of the History of Science and Affiliated Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University
22. Peter Gleick, President Emeritus Pacific Institute
23. Robert Bullard, Professor of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy, Texas Southern University
24. Robert Stavins, Professor of Energy & Economic Development, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
25. Victoria Herrmann, President and Managing Director, The Artic Institute

Vietnam

1. Nguy Thi Khank, Executive Director, Green Innovation and Development Centre, Vietnam