Wanjiku Gitau

Kenyan climate justice advocate leading global climate negotiations and empowering marginalized communities

Wanjiku Gitau is a transformative figure in global climate action, serving as the youngest African delegate to COP26 negotiations in 2021. As Executive Director of Earth Justice Initiative, she pioneered the 'Climate Voices' program that amplifies stories of vulnerable communities affected by environmental degradation. Her groundbreaking work includes developing the Climate Adaptation Metrics Framework adopted by 14 African nations to measure climate resilience. Gitau's 2022 TEDx talk Why Climate Justice Must Include All Voices has been viewed over 2 million times, establishing her as a leading voice in intersectional environmentalism. She co-founded the African Climate Hub, which trained 5,000 youth climate activists by 2024 through innovative virtual reality workshops demonstrating climate impacts. Her 2023 report Climate Displacement in Eastern Africa influenced UNHCR policy changes regarding climate refugees. Gitau's work bridges grassroots organizing with international policy, exemplified by her role in drafting Article 7.2 of the 2025 Global Climate Pact guaranteeing 30% of climate funds go directly to local communities.