Mexican diplomat among top 100 influential people in climate policy

Mexican politician and diplomat Patricia Espinosa

, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) , made the list of the World’s 100 most influential people in climate policy .

The list includes politicians, public officials, academics and activists from all over the world who are currently pursuing concrete action to fight climate change. It was based on hundreds of nominations by experts in the field and nonprofit organizations.

Earlier this week, the global network Apolitical , endorsed by the European Commission , the World Economic Forum , the Canadian government , and the UK Cabinet Office , published the list, which also included Pope Francis and U.S. left-wing politician Bernie Sanders .

Patricia Espinosa was named executive secretary of the UNFCCC in 2016, though she had formerly been Mexico’s secretary of foreign affairs and its ambassador to Austria, Germany, Slovenia, and Slovakia .

She was Mexico’s Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2006 to 2012 and earned a diploma in International Law at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Switzerland .

The list also features the Brazilian politician and environmentalist Marina Silva ; Argentina’s Environment Minister Sergio Bergman ; Costa Rica’s Minister of Environment and Energy Carlos Manuel Rodríguez ; the mayor of Quito, Mauricio Rodas, and Colombian Jaime Margolin, founder of Zero Hour.

According to Apolitical, the list was inspired by a series of protests throughout the world in which young people and children skipped school to take to the streets and demand action on climate change under the slogan #FridayForFuture .

The list also includes Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg , who promoted the #FridayForFuture movement , U.S. legislators Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders , as well as writer Naomi Klein.

Michael Bloomberg

also made the list, along with Jennifer Morgan, executive director of Greenpeace International , and Economics Nobel Prize winners William Nordhaus and Paul Romer .

“Those recognised include high-profile advocates whose work is indispensable to raising awareness and demanding change. Others are rising stars who are making their mark in local communities and are a driving force behind governmental progress,” the NGO explained.

For the full list, click here .

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