Tina Matilai

A Solomon Islands climate activist whose advocacy for Pacific island nations' rights in global climate negotiations earned her international recognition as a voice for vulnerable coastal communities.

Tina Matilai is a climate justice advocate from the Solomon Islands, a nation particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels. As a representative of Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS), she has been a vocal participant in UN climate conferences since 2015. Her impassioned speeches at COP26 in 2021 brought attention to the existential threat climate change poses to low-lying island nations.

Matilai co-founded the Pacific Climate Warriors, a youth-led movement that stages symbolic protests such as beachfront demonstrations to dramatize sea level rise. In 2019, she organized a 'die-in' protest at the UN headquarters in New York, demanding greater emissions reductions from wealthy nations. Her work bridges grassroots activism with high-level policy discussions, emphasizing climate reparations and loss-and-damage funding.

Born in the remote island community of Nggela Sule, Matilai's personal connection to environmental threats informs her advocacy. She has partnered with organizations like 350.org and Pacific Calling Partnership to amplify marginalized voices in climate discourse. Her TED Talk "The climate crisis is killing my home - and the world is watching" has over 2 million views.