Pacific Island students in the fight against climate change won the Political Leadership Award. 2025 Champions of the Earth Award: Climate Justice and Innovation Climate and Environment
Climate change pioneers, including Pacific Students, receive the UN’s highest environmental honor, the UN Environment Program (UNEP) 2025 Champions of the Earth Award This year’s laureates are tackling critical issues in a variety of areas from achieving climate justice to sustainable practices cooling and forest protection.
“As the global impact of the climate crisis intensifies, innovation and leadership in all areas of society are increasingly important,” said UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen.
The Champions of the Earth Award, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, recognizes environmental leaders who provide important solutions in their areas of expertise. Since 2005, this award has been awarded to 127 leaders whose vision and courage inspire global action.
2025 Award Winners
Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change received an award for Political Leadership. This youth NGO obtained a landmark ruling from the International Court of Justice establishing the legal obligations of states to prevent damage from the climate crisis. The efforts of the students are aimed at changing global legislation and expanding the opportunities of vulnerable countries. nomination “Inspiration and Action”. A pioneer in sustainable cooling and ecosystem restoration, Supriya Sahu’s initiatives have created 2.5 million green jobs, expanded forest cover and integrated thermal adaptation into infrastructure. 12 million people have benefited from these innovative solutions.
Architect Mariam Issoufou won the Entrepreneurial Vision Award for her design of the Hikma Community in Niger, which features passive cooling to keep temperatures 10 degrees Celsius lower without air conditioning. Its approach, based on the use of local resources and cultural heritage, aims to transform the design of buildings in the Sahel region of Africa.
Imazon institute in Brazil, winner of a in the Science and Innovation category, is using scientific AI-powered geospatial tools to combat deforestation. Imazon’s work has strengthened forest management, supported thousands of lawsuits, and identified the extent of illegal logging, leading to systemic change in the Amazon.
Former head of the UNEP International Methane Observatory, Manfredi Caltagirone, posthumously received the Lifetime Achievement Award. He advocated for science-based measures on methane. Caltagirone’s efforts led to the first EU regulation on methane emissions and influenced global energy policy.
The activities of the “Champions of the Earth” serve as proof that effective measures to counter the climate crisis can be implemented today. Reducing methane emissions will cool the planet, improve air quality and create new jobs. Forest restoration helps conserve water resources, reduce natural disasters, and protect biodiversity.
Sustainable cooling and green buildings create opportunities for maintaining public health, preserving food and vaccines, and increasing productivity economy. Climate justice ensures vulnerable communities have a voice and legal protections.