1. Helena Gualinga
The fight to protect the environment on the Amazon rainforest front spans generations, and 19-year-old Helena Gualinga is all too familiar with this struggle. Gualinga grew up on the climate front line, daughter of Noemí Gualinga, leader of the Indigenous Kichwa Sarayaku people of the Ecuadorian Amazon. From her entrance into the world, Gualinga saw her community fighting for its rights; the year she was born, an oil company entered the Sarayaku community without consent, inciting pushback from its protectors.
Gualinga’s life has been defined by a fight for the environment, visibility for the diverse range of Indigenous communities around the world, and her family. Her sister, Nina Gualinga, and aunt, Patricia Gualinga, are also notable Indigenous climate activists.
2. NDN Collective
The NDN Collective, based in South Dakota, is a leading voice in North American Indigenous movements, campaigning on climate justice, ending violence and violations in Native territories, and the return of Native land to its people.
The NDN Collective attended COP26, represented by eight members making up their Climate Justice team. The group participated in marches and events, advocating for Indigenous-led solutions to emissions reduction. The collective also participated in forums spotlighting the climate crisis in Tibet, speaking on colonialism, and on the importance of centering Indigenous voices.
“This year’s COP26 negotiations are some of the most timely discussions that will happen in the movement toward ending the perpetual cycles that keep us from addressing the climate crisis,” said Lycia Maddocks, political director at NDN Collective, in a press release. “These convenings will set the standard to how we will go forward as a global community — our goal is for Indigenous people to have a voice in negotiations around actual, equitable solutions.”