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In one of India’s most heat-vulnerable regions, Supriya Sahu is leading a powerful transformation to protect communities from extreme heat.

A group of Pacific Island law students turned their fear and frustration into a historic global fight for climate justice. For Cynthia Houniuhi from the Solomon Islands, rising seas were not an abstract threat they were swallowing the land her people depend on for identity, memory and survival.

Italian engineer Manfredi Caltagirone leaves behind a powerful legacy in the global fight against methane emissions. His vision began under a tree at the UNEP campus in Nairobi in 2019, where he and two colleagues imagined a new framework that could rapidly cut methane emissions by 2030.

The Champions of the Earth award honours individuals and organizations whose actions have a transformative impact on the environment. In 2024, UNEP honours six outstanding individuals and organizations working on innovative and sustainable solutions to restore land, enhance drought resilience, and combat desertification.

In the heart of the Amazon, scientists at Imazon are using artificial intelligence to predict where the next wave of deforestation will strike before a single tree falls. Their digital map, dotted with yellow, orange and red indicators, reveals the forest areas most at risk.

Mariam Issoufou is turning traditional Sahelian architecture into powerful climate solutions that protect communities from extreme heat. Her award-winning projects—from rural schools to community centres—use earth, clay, and time-tested construction techniques to create buildings that stay naturally cool, reduce energy use, and lower carbon emissions.

Across the world, people and organizations are driving transformative climate action — from advancing sustainable cooling and rethinking how we design and build our cities, to protecting forests, cutting methane emissions and delivering climate justice for the most vulnerable.

The law students who struck a seismic blow for climate justice In the Pacific Islands, a group of students turned their frustration into legal firepower, demanding justice for their vulnerable nations and challenging the biggest polluters in court. 

Teresa Ribera, Executive Vice-President for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition of the European Commission, on the life and legacy of Manfredi Caltagirone, honouring his leadership on one of the most urgent climate battles of our time. 

Dia Mirza, Model, Actress, SDG Advocate and UNEP Goodwill Ambassador for India, shares a deeply personal reflection on the rising heat in India and the transformative impact of Supriya Sahu’s leadership. 

The Brazilian research institute using cutting-edge technology to stave off deforestation in the Amazon   Imazon has developed AI deforestation prediction models that inform policies and help law enforcement protect the Amazon rainforest, while promoting sustainable economic growth      

Angélique Kidjo, Singer-Songwriter, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and 2011 UNEP Champion of the Earth reflects on Mariam Issoufou’s work and the deep cultural wisdom that shapes her architectural vision.

Lu Qi, a Chinese scientist honoured in the Science and Innovation category, has worked in science and policy sectors for three decades helping China reverse degradation and shrink its deserts.

Gabriel Paun, a Romanian environmental defender honoured in the Inspiration and Action category, is the founder of NGO Agent Green, which has been helping save thousands of hectares of precious biodiversity in the Carpathians since 2009 by exposing the destruction and illegal logging of Europe’s last old growth forest.

SEKEM, a sustainable agriculture initiative honoured in the Entrepreneurial Vision category, will help more than 40,000 farmers in Egypt transition to more sustainable agriculture by 2025.

Sonia Guajajara, Brazil’s Minister of Indigenous Peoples honoured in the Policy Leadership category, has been advocating for Indigenous rights for more than two decades. Guajajara became Brazil’s first Minister of Indigenous Peoples and the country’s first female Indigenous minister in 2023.

Amy Bowers Cordalis, an Indigenous rights advocate honoured in the Inspiration and Action category, is using her legal expertise and passion for restoration to secure a better future for the Yurok tribe and the Klamath River in the United States.

Madhav Gadgil, an Indian ecologist honoured in the Lifetime Achievement category, has spent decades protecting people and the planet through research and community engagement.

People and organizations around the world are leading innovative and sustainable solutions to restore land, enhance drought resilience and halt desertification. The Champions of the Earth stand at the forefront, offering hope and inspiration that restoration is possible. They remind us that safeguarding the envrionment is key to achieving sustainable development.

Born in the Amazon rainforest, Sonia Guajajara never expected she would one day make history as the first-ever Indigenous woman to become a minister in Brazil.But that is what happened in January 2023, when President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva appointed Guajajara as Minister of Indigenous Peoples. Guajajara, 50, is the first person to hold that role.