Mohamed Adow

The spokesman for victims of climate injustice on the front line of international negotiations.

​​​​​​​“The next six months will be crucial for turning things around”, said Mohamed Adow in June. The director of the think tank Power Shift Africa was expressing his disappointment after the Bonn climate conference, where hundreds of delegates from all over the world had gathered to prepare the financial aspects of the upcoming COP 29, to be held in Baku in November. “African leaders must coordinate their efforts to get the world back on track in its commitment to limiting global warming to 1.5°C”, warned the activist. In under ten years, he has established himself as one of the leading voices in the battle against climate change. Born into a pastoralist community in northern Kenya, he saw his people lose their livelihoods and become dependent on humanitarian aid. He first worked for the NGO Christian Aid, where he established himself as an expert on climate change, sustainable development and the energy transition. “Aid alleviates hunger, but it doesn't kill the monster, which is climate injustice and historical marginalisation.” In 2020, he launched the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), which brings together some 1,000 organisations in 48 countries across the continent, to speak with one voice to African heads of state and the West.