fbpx
Skip to content

3 Female Goldman Prize Winners, 3 Powerful Approaches to Fighting Climate Change

March 1, 2021

In honor of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, we’re celebrating three Goldman Prize winners who’ve made formidable contributions to the fight against climate change.

These three women, each of whom sought to protect the environment in different ways, are a powerful reminder that climate change isn’t a problem with a single solution. There are innumerable ways to make meaningful change—and each one of them counts.

Makoma Lekalakala

1. Makoma Lekalakala (South Africa, 2018)

“If you check the history, you realize that women are the custodians of conserving the environment.” – Makoma Lekalakala

A lifelong activist, Makoma Lekalakala has dedicated herself to mobilizing South Africans around environmental issues—especially clean energy. In 2014, when Makoma learned about the South African government’s secret deal with Russia to build upwards of eight nuclear power plants in South Africa, she took a grassroots approach to stopping the deal.

In addition to producing tens of thousands of pounds of radioactive waste, these nuclear power plants would raise the temperature of the ocean, harm marine life, and put the area at risk of a nuclear accident. Together with activist Liz McDaid, Makoma organized local marches and educated communities around the country on the environmental, economic, and health impacts of the deal.

As a result of her efforts, in April 2017, the Western Cape High Court ruled that the $76 billion nuclear deal was unconstitutional, which put an end to the project and set a precedent for similar projects going forward.

Lucie Pinson

2. Lucie Pinson (France, 2020)

“Finance is an amazing tool for change because behind all projects, you will find a bank and you will find an insurer.” – Lucie Pinson

Activist Lucie Pinson took a big-picture approach to tackling climate change. While attending college in South Africa, Lucie began learning about coal power plants and their devastating consequences for the environment. When she discovered that French banks and insurance companies played an integral role in financing and supporting coal projects across the globe, she decided to direct her efforts toward stopping them.

Lucie launched a media campaign to pressure French banking institutions into cutting their coal power funding, collaborated with NGOs to organize demonstrations, and held workshops and conferences to educate French citizens on coal power.

In 2017, thanks to Lucie’s tireless work, French banks agreed to stop financing new coal projects altogether. French insurance companies then followed suit, deciding to end insurance coverage for new coal projects.

Nemonte Nenquimo

3. Nemonte Nenquimo (Ecuador, 2020)

“The whole world needs to stop and think about who we are listening to and what we are leaving for future generations. I invite you to stop for a moment to listen to the voices of Indigenous women.” – Nemonte Nenquimo

Nemonte Nenquimo, an Indigenous Waorani woman and environmental leader, has made it her life’s mission to protect her ancestral territory, environment, and culture. In 2018, Ecuador’s Minister of Hydrocarbons announced a plan to auction off seven million acres of Amazon rainforest for the purpose of oil extraction. The areas in question were located on the titled land of seven different Indigenous nations.

To fight against the land auctions—and push for conservation of her homeland—Nemonte took a multi-pronged approach involving community mobilization and global awareness. She held regional assemblies, rallied people around the world to sign a petition against the oil industry, and launched a digital campaign to protest the auctions. Nemonte also helped Indigenous communities install rainwater harvesting systems and solar panels to avoid having to take money from oil companies.

Her efforts eventually brought the case to court and helped protect 500,000 acres of Amazon rainforest and Indigenous land from oil extraction, setting a precedent for Indigenous land conservation in the region.


Want more updates from the Goldman Environmental Prize? Sign up for our newsletter and join our global community.

Related Posts

Prize Winners Today: mark! Lopez Tackles Environmental Injustice in Los Angeles


October 8, 2024 – By Ellen Lomonico

In today’s world of magical modernity, we can have anything we want the next day. A pack of socks, a Cuisinart® food processor (top rated), a new electric toothbrush—a click of a button and poof!—it appears at my doorstep. I fold up the cardboard packaging into my apartment’s blue bin where it will be recycled…

Read more

COP16: What to Know about the 2024 UN Biodiversity Conference


October 2, 2024

What is COP16? “COP16” refers to the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP16). This year’s COP will be held in Cali, Colombia, October 21 through November 1. The conference theme is “Peace with Nature.” The goal of COP16 is for participants to develop…

Read more

Prize Winners Today: Restoring Scotland’s Seas with Howard Wood


September 10, 2024 – By Ellen Lomonico

I met Howard Wood a year ago in Geneva, Switzerland, for a conference hosted by IUCN. As we approached each other in our hotel’s eclectic lobby, Howard’s well-worn Patagonia sweater contrasted sharply with the vibrant pink decor. With bright blue eyes that sparkled from underneath a salt-weathered baseball cap, Howard greeted me with a warm…

Read more