Increasingly, more young people are entering the climate space, galvanized by their firsthand experiences of the impacts of global warming and intent on making a change. Many are leading their own movements, and Ineza Umuhoza Grace is one of them.
A 27-year old, self-proclaimed ecofeminist, Grace co-founded Rwandan NGO The Green Protector in 2018. It works to safeguard the environment through youth-led activities. She is also the co-director of The Loss and Damage Youth Coalition, which is made up of over 900 young people from 70 countries who are all advocating for the loss and damage caused by the climate crisis to be addressed.
“I experienced the impacts of climate change at a young age, but I didn't know that it was climate change until I grew up, went to school, and then realized that we are part of one planet, yet people from developing countries were being exposed to very damaging impacts. We don't have a voice and we don't have representation,” said Grace, who studied environmental engineering and was a 2020 National Geographic Young Explorer, a 2021 USAID #WaterOurImpact winner, and one of the leaders chosen for the Obama Foundation Africa Leaders 2022 program.