The 62 women leading the climate fight in Latin America who are changing the environmental course.

The list shows that climate leadership in Latin America has a female face , especially in areas where environmental impacts are more severe and where the defense of natural resources is directly linked to cultural and economic survival.

In international negotiation spaces and in national and local governments, these women have promoted environmental policies and multilateral agreements . Among them are Christiana Figueres , one of the architects of the Paris Agreement; Patricia Espinosa , former director of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change; and Claudia Sheinbaum , scientist and current president of Mexico.

In Central America and the Southern Cone, figures such as Andrea Meza Murillo and Teresa Ribera Rodríguez are promoting energy transitions, the protection of strategic ecosystems, and climate diplomacy.

A significant proportion of the recognized women come from Amazonian and Andean indigenous communities , where territorial defense is linked to the preservation of tropical forests, key to curbing global warming.

Figures such as Nemonte Nenquimo , Helena Gualinga , Sônia Guajajara , Zenaida Yasacama and Marly Luz Canaquiri Murayari lead campaigns against deforestation, oil expansion and the criminalization of environmental defenders .

For many communities, local organizations point out, the loss of the rainforest means the rupture of identities, languages, and ways of life.

Alongside Indigenous activism, women in cities and peri-urban areas are working to promote environmental justice in the face of air pollution, toxic waste, and lack of access to water.

Among them are Maite Arce (Hispanic Access Foundation), Leila Salazar López (Amazon Watch) and Katie Valenzuela , who promotes environmental regulations with a social focus from local politics.

Their initiatives underscore that climate change does not affect all communities equally, and that responses must address structural inequalities.

A significant portion of these leaders work in the fields of communication and culture, broadening the reach of the climate debate to new audiences.

Journalists Yessenia Funes , Tais Gadea Lara and Ludmila Rattis , as well as renowned figures such as Jessica Alba , Eva Longoria , Gloria Estefan and photographer Cristina Mittermeier , generate narratives that link climate with health, economy, identity and future.

Their work helps transform the environmental crisis from a technical issue to an everyday reality.

The inclusion of 62 women on the List of 100 not only recognizes individual trajectories, but also confirms a regional trend: Latin American climate action is largely sustained by female leadership.

Organizations consulted indicate that these leaderships are characterized by their collective vision, intergenerational dialogue, and the integration of environmental protection and human rights.

As Latin America continues to be one of the regions most affected by the climate crisis, these voices propose alternatives, defend territories, and keep alive the possibility of a sustainable future in the region.