Climate change. It is something that all people have heard a lot about and is defined as “a change in global or regional climate patterns.” It doesn’t sound like anything too terrible, but it is possibly the most significant issue of our time. There are many reasons why climate change is so dangerous, from rising temperatures to an increase in the severity of natural disasters and the loss of entire animal species. Thankfully, there are people who are doing something about this problem and are fighting for the health and well-being of our planet. Sophia Kianni is one of those people. 

Sophia Kianni, a 21-year-old media and strategy expert in the field of environmental and climate activism, first became interested in environmental awareness 4 years ago when she was merely 17 years old. She has Iranian heritage and seeing the devastation that pollution had caused Iran is what sparked her passion for environmentalism at such a young age. Unlike many others her age, Kianni was not willing to stand around and wait for someone else to fight for what she believed in. 

For this reason, she took matters into her own hands and founded Climate Cardinals –  an international nonprofit organisation with over 9,000 volunteers translating climate information into more than 100 languages. Over 500,000 individuals have been reached by this global initiative, which

currently spans 41 nations and has translated over 750,000 words of climate information. 

Kianni’s work does not stop there; in addition to being the founder of Climate Cardinals, she is also a National Geographic Young Explorer, a member of the United Nations Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change, and the presenter of her own podcast about the connection between fashion and sustainability. Her impressive accomplishments have led to Forbes, CNN, TIME Magazine, The Guardian and NBC all writing about her. She has even been featured on the front page of The Washington Post.

Besides the incredible changes that she has made to society’s understanding of climate change, she has also had an extremely large impact on the lives of young girls. She is a fantastic role model and has proven that anyone can make a difference no matter how old they are. I have no doubt that she will continue to fight for our planet and am confident that the name Sophia Kianni will be heard in environmental circles for a long time to come.

Sources and Recommended Reading:

https://www.climatecardinals.org/