Twelve women bringing light to the fight against climate change

International Women’s Day 2025 comes at a dark time in the struggle for gender equality. As we reported in the latest issue of The Ethical Corporation, the new Trump administration’s unprecedented attacks on diversity and inclusion represent a huge setback for women, both in the U.S. and internationally.

His executive orders were made under the guise of “defending women”, but will instead weaken protections for women’s and girls’ workplace equity, reproductive healthcare access and protections against gender-based violence, NGOs say.

For female climate leaders, such as the women on Reuters Events Trailblazing Women in Climate List, the headwinds are doubly strong, with the new White House occupant, and the likes of Elon Musk, also taking a chainsaw to U.S. participation in climate action. As Donald Trump has said, withdrawing from the Paris Agreement was merely the opening salvo.

You can download the report by clicking here (scroll down until you find the climate list)

This is the third year that Reuters Events has published its Trailblazing Women in Climate list. Like last year, we drew our list of extraordinary climate leaders from the fields of policy, finance, business and activism. (See below for more about the nomination process)

This year we’ve shortened the list from 20 to 12 and changed the format slightly, asked them to answer one of three questions: why they believe female climate leadership to be important; what they see as the biggest climate challenges facing leaders this year; and what gives them hope despite recent setbacks.

At a time when hope is in short supply, their answers were illuminating and inspirational, as well as clear-eyed in diagnosing the urgent need for change.

Take the comments of Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme: “There is no debating that women – along with many other vulnerable groups – bear the brunt of climate change impacts across the world. Just as there is no debating that women are at the forefront of action, innovative solutions and a movement pushing to fight the inequalities that the climate crisis is exacerbating. Yet the gender inequality gap continues to slow progress when we have no time to waste.”

Mafalda Duarte, executive director of the Green Climate Fund, agrees: “Our predominantly male world leaders have not – and are not – demonstrating the vision, ambition or boldness required in decision-making. In failing to act, they are failing to protect the most vulnerable and future generations. …. We don’t need to lead like men, and we shouldn’t. We must claim our space and define our role on our own terms. We need more women at the table – not as a symbolic gesture, not to check a box, but as a mission-critical strategy for success.”

éliane Ubalijoro, chief executive officer of the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), addresses what gives her hope: “Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai, my hero, understood that small actions, when multiplied, can transform landscapes and lives. What started as a simple effort – women preparing seedlings and planting trees – has led to billions of trees being planted worldwide. Though these trees may take years to grow, their impact will be felt for generations. …. I hope we can be the ancestors that future generations look back to with gratitude.”

For Mary Robinson, whose credentials include former president of Ireland, and membership of The Elders, and B Team, dandelions, rather than trees, are inspiration for Project Dandelion, an initiative uniting women in a push away from subsidies for fossil fuels to renewable energy.

“The dandelion, often dismissed as a weed, is in fact a plant that thrives on all continents, regenerates soil, is entirely consumable, and spreads effortlessly on the wind. By uniting our voices, we can amplify our collective power and show that those who believe in climate justice are not a fringe movement, but the global majority. Like the dandelion, we must be persistent, resilient, and impossible to ignore. A useful nuisance! We need to keep springing up everywhere, bright and visible, a reminder that a better future is within reach.”

Rhian-Mari Thomas, CEO of the UK’s Green Finance Institute, chooses a metaphor from the built environment. She quotes a Welsh saying that ‘for those who wish to lead, let them be a bridge’. “In an increasingly partisan and polarised world, leadership that bridges divides through genuine collaboration needs to be encouraged if we are to solve the complex and interconnected challenges we all face. … Success in this nascent field is less about commanding attention than paying attention. It requires the humility to listen but also the courage to challenge conformity and to act.”

Several of the women on our list are in the clean energy sector, where female leadership is in critically short supply, despite the important skillsets they bring to the energy transition.

This point is made by Inna Braverman, CEO and founder of Israeli renewable energy company Eco Wave Power: “As a rare female entrepreneur in the renewable energy sector, I have seen firsthand the importance of diverse leadership in tackling climate change. This is not just a matter of equality: studies have shown that diverse leadership teams make more well-rounded, forward-thinking decisions, which are essential for addressing a complex and urgent issue like climate change. When women are part of decision-making, solutions tend to be more inclusive and sustainable, benefiting society as a whole.”

Ayesha Choudhury, chief commercial officer at low-carbon aviation fuel company Infinium, describes what keeps her going in her role: “I’ve always embraced challenges, and working in climate solutions is the biggest one yet. Transforming industries that have relied on fossil fuels for over a century is not a simple task. Setbacks are inevitable, but they don’t define the outcome: perseverance does. … Every deal we close, every facility we bring online, and every new partnership we forge is proof that progress is happening.”

Meanwhile, Vaishali Nigam Sinha, co-founder and CSO at Indian renewable energy company ReNew, sees a silver lining as the U.S. pulls back on spending on renewables. “For emerging markets … this is also a strong opportunity to position themselves as alternative manufacturing hubs. By strengthening domestic supply chains, investing in critical minerals and forming strategic trade partnerships, these nations can accelerate industrial competitiveness.”

Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association, says her optimism about the future of solar energy in the U.S. is undimmed, despite the change in administration.

She points out that the near-doubling of solar generation under the last two administrations, including Trump 1.0, is “transforming communities across the country, many in conservative districts. The momentum is real, and the benefits are widely shared. … By continuing to support smart policies, strengthening our domestic supply chain, and investing in workforce development, we can cement solar’s role as the backbone of America’s energy economy.”

Melina Laboucan-Massimo, is another proponent of solar energy. The non-profit she founded, Sacred Earth, works with Indigenous communities across Canada. “I find hope in the Indigenous women who are building climate solutions that are fair, just and equitable,” she says. “With humanity struggling to find its way in this dark hour, we must look to Indigenous leaders, science and wisdom for solutions.”

However, Anna Turrell, former chief sustainability officer of French sporting goods company Decathlon, sees challenges to engaging consumers on the circularity agenda. “Changing patterns of consumption are fundamental to changing what and how we produce in order to reduce the impacts we’re having on the planet. However, the changes can often feel too abstract or confusing to be actionable at an individual level.

“We also know that climate anxiety is … creating a state of inertia and absolute fatigue. Navigating this hugely complex landscape of engagement will remain a challenge in 2025, as competing forces, dominated by online information channels will continue to vie for our attention and influence us as consumers.”

The last word should go to Elaize Farias, content editor at Brazil’s Amaz?nia Real, an investigative, non-profit journalism agency based in Manaus, in the north of Brazil.

The Amazon city of Belem will be the setting for the next international climate conference, COP30, later this year. Coming 10 years after the Paris Agreement was signed, and with countries having to update their national climate action plans for the next five years, the meeting will be pivotal.

“I hope it will not be another event where large industries and very rich nations dominate decisions,” Elaize says. “Environmental solutions are not about markets and profits. Without the effective participation of Amazonian populations, indigenous peoples and traditional peoples, environmental rights defenders and scientists committed to sustainable energy transition, it may be an event destined for failure.

“The climate crisis is not an issue for the future. It is urgent and it demands immediate action.”

It is a sentiment that is clearly shared by all of Reuters Events trailblazing women in climate ? both past and present.

Download the report here

How we compile our Trailblazing Women in Climate list

In naming our list of Trailblazing Women in Climate 2025, we sought nominations of individuals who have had a lasting impact in the battle against climate change, with a demonstrable track record of influence, impact and leadership. As in last year’s list, we sought to give equal weighting to Trailblazers in four different categories: corporates and entrepreneurs, finance, policy, and activism/NGOs. Efforts were made to ensure that we received nominations from as broad and representative a pool of stakeholders as possible.

We consulted Ethical Corporation journalists, colleagues in Reuters News, conference organizers in Reuters Events as well as sustainability industry experts, and our final list of Trailblazers seeks to reflect fair representation ethnically and geographically. All individuals nominated in our list of Trailblazers have given their consent to be named, and provided their own bios and comments, which were in some cases edited for length.