Young Climate Leaders 2026

The Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), with the support of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union | Global Dialogue, selected 8 young climate leaders to join CEPS' annual flagship event, Ideas Lab, in Brussels on 2 and 3 March 2026.

CEPS Ideas Lab 2026 | 2026 cohort | Related content | Contact

The 2026 cohort

One of the biggest challenges for climate action today is that the people who live through the most intense climate impacts often have the least space and voice to shape the solution.
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Towards a social architecture of climate care: resilience for the Global Majority with perspectives from South Asia

Commentary
As the EU and India pour billions into energy grids, transport corridors and digital infrastructure, something vital keeps slipping through the net: the people who live, work, migrate and grieve along these routes. Two young woman climate leaders from South Asia argue that the next frontier of EU-Global Majority cooperation must be a social architecture, one that supports the people – their health, their rights, their dignity and their knowledge – behind systems, not just the systems alone.
Aakriti Pant, Muskan Lamba
My contribution is to help close the communication gap –translating marine science and community experience into clear, credible stories and decision‑ready materials that support practical action and durable coalitions.
People who understand the crisis can hold current leaders accountable and can become the next ones, bringing environmental responsibility into the centre of political decision making.
Solutions must be grounded in lived experience to ensure that the people most affected are not left behind.
We say this a lot, but real climate action must centre the voices of those who carry the memory of the land.
People are struggling to secure basic needs, so climate action gets framed as a luxury, even though it directly affects our ability to breathe, work, learn, and live with dignity.
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Towards a social architecture of climate care: resilience for the Global Majority with perspectives from South Asia

Commentary
As the EU and India pour billions into energy grids, transport corridors and digital infrastructure, something vital keeps slipping through the net: the people who live, work, migrate and grieve along these routes. Two young woman climate leaders from South Asia argue that the next frontier of EU-Global Majority cooperation must be a social architecture, one that supports the people – their health, their rights, their dignity and their knowledge – behind systems, not just the systems alone.
Aakriti Pant, Muskan Lamba
The main issue is treating the environment as a single discipline, when it should be addressed in an interdisciplinary manner that encompasses human rights and international law.
One of the biggest challenges is the low understanding of climate change tools and methodology to incorporate it on individual levels in daily life.
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From local shores to shared seas: youth climate action linking Egypt and Europe

Commentary
Young climate advocates are tying local actions to cross-border cooperation by linking regional grassroots clean-up activities to diplomatic efforts. They've harnessed their passion to establish climate-focused partnerships to protect the Mediterranean, one of the most plastics-polluted seas in the world, as they rally to drive various initiatives. Commentary by our 2026 Young Climate Leader Salma Abbass.
Salma Abbass

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Uncovering climate disinformation

Dossier: Uncovering climate disinformation

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Uncover the battle against one of our era's greatest challenges – climate change. This dossier unravels the web of falsehoods obstructing climate action initiatives, and delves into the work of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung's Climate Disinformation Media Fellows. We expose the pervasive myths and misinformation campaigns hindering our collective efforts to address the urgent climate crisis.
Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union | Global Dialogue, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Washington, DC

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