The climate crisis threatens nearly everything we observe in the natural and man-made worlds, from the ecosystems that support life to the economies that support jobs.
Without urgent action, climate change impacts could push an additional 100 million people into poverty by 2030.
But there is cause for optimism. Meet the Changemakers: the citizens stepping up and driving transformational change far and wide, every day, everywhere.
The portraits below offer a window into the lives of people working to put climate action at the heart of policymaking, business, and community life.
Supported by the Climate Investment Funds, the men and women seen here are among the millions of people empowered by climate finance: they are the convention-busting farmers, solar engineers, entrepreneurs, and all those defying “business as usual” to pave the way for a climate-smarter world.
They are doers, like Winston Maragh, mayor of Rocky Point in Jamaica. He’s waging a campaign to help shield his constituents from recurrent floods by building resilient infrastructure throughout the community, including drainage systems, sea walls, and a tide gate.
They are pioneers, like Aditi Singh, one of the first women engineers at Bhadla Solar Park, on track to be India’s largest solar facility.
The complex is supporting her nation’s ambitious target of 100 gigawatts of solar capacity by 2022—the equivalent of the entire energy output of Spain.
Their story is not just the story of climate finance. It is the story of the human spirit. Their actions overcome great odds to help empower communities, bolster economies, protect forests, and drive action.
Their words inspire us to do more and be more, even in the face of the most pressing crisis in generations.
At the Climate Investment Funds, we believe their cause is our cause. CIF is a donor-supported financial institution on a mission to help developing countries win the race against the climate emergency.
Established in 2008, CIF partners with governments, businesses, communities, and development organizations to scale up investments in renewable energy, sustainable forestry, and resilience in over 70 countries.
CIF is supporting more than 300 climate-smart initiatives, including the largest solar power plant of its kind in the world, 36 million hectares of healthier forests, a network of weather-resilient roads in flood-prone Mozambique, and the first real-time weather stations in the Caribbean.
“Meet the Changemakers” is part of a traveling exhibition on display in cities around the world. The initiative aims to bring all people closer to the transformative power of climate finance. It was made possible with the support of CIF donors and partners.
