UNEP Honors Five Climate Trailblazers as 2025 Champions

Champions of the Earth Award winner Cynthia Houniuhi, a climate justice advocate from the Solomon Islands who co-founded and led Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change.

Global temperature rises are projected to surpass 1.5°C (2.7°F) within the next decade, underscoring the urgency of the climate crisis.

As the world works to slow climate change and build a more sustainable future, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) on Wednesday named five new climate visionaries as its 2025 Champions of the Earth — the UN's highest environmental honour.

These five extraordinary leaders, whose work spans climate justice, sustainable cooling, and forest protection, demonstrate how bold action can drive real change for people and the planet.

“As the global impacts of the climate crisis intensify, innovation and leadership across every sector of society have never been more essential,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP.

“Young students demanding climate justice; subnational governments and architects leading on sustainable cooling and smart building design; research institutes slowing deforestation; and passionate individuals driving methane emissions reductions — this year’s Champions of the Earth show the kind of leadership that will inspire the world to face down the challenge of climate change.”

This year’s laureates are tackling some of the most urgent challenges of our time: climate justice, methane emissions reduction, sustainable cooling, resilient buildings, and forest conservation, according to UNEP.

UNEP’s 2025 Champions of the Earth are:
Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change – Policy Leadership

When Cynthia Houniuhi addressed the International Court of Justice in The Hague a year ago, she spoke plainly: climate change is devastating Pacific Island nations such as her home, the Solomon Islands.

Through her youth-led NGO, which secured a landmark ICJ opinion affirming states’ legal duties to prevent climate harm and uphold human rights, she is helping reshape global climate law and empower vulnerable nations.

Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu – Inspiration and Action

Indian environmentalist Supriya Sahu is redefining how communities adapt to extreme heat — restoring nature to cool cities, redesigning schools for safety, and promoting climate-smart infrastructure.

Her sustainable cooling and restoration initiatives have created 2.5 million green jobs, expanded forest cover, and strengthened resilience for 12 million people.

Mariam Issoufou, Principal and Founder, Mariam Issoufou Architects, Niger/France – Entrepreneurial Vision

Grounding her architecture in local materials and cultural heritage, Mariam Issoufou is redefining sustainable, climate-resilient buildings across the Sahel and inspiring a new generation of African designers.

Through projects such as the Hikma Community Complex in Niger, she pioneers passive cooling techniques that keep buildings up to 10°C cooler without air conditioning.

Imazon, Brazil – Science and Innovation

Imazon has developed AI-driven deforestation prediction models that inform policy and help law enforcement protect the Amazon rainforest while supporting sustainable economic development.

By combining science with advanced geospatial tools, the non-profit research institute has strengthened forest governance, supported thousands of legal cases, and exposed the scale of illegal deforestation, driving systemic change across the Amazon basin.

Manfredi Caltagirone (posthumous) – Lifetime Achievement

Manfredi Caltagirone dedicated his career to one of the most urgent climate challenges. Guided by his vision for open, reliable, and actionable data, he worked to transform knowledge into climate action.

As the former head of UNEP’s International Methane Emissions Observatory, he advanced transparency and science-based methane policy, helping inform the EU’s first methane regulation and shaping global energy policy.