Changemakers
for the Planet

Supporting changemakers with systems-changing solutions
for the planet.

Through ‘Changemakers for the Planet’ we support, connect, and amplify the work and voices of hundreds young changemakers, activists and innovators from all regions of the world who have potentially system changing solutions to address the planetary crisis.

As part of our commitment to amplifying the work and voices of young changemakers, we actively support their representation at major global gatherings, including the UN Climate Change Conferences (COP) and London Climate Action Week (LCAW). These spaces offer participants the opportunity to share their solutions, engage with decision-makers, and connect with peers, partners, and allies from around the world.

We search, identify, and recruit young changemakers, activists and leaders from every region of the world who are developing solutions with the potential to drive systemic change in addressing climate change, biodiversity loss, and air, land, and sea pollution.

climateaction_planetary_crisis1_biodiversity

Unlike climate change, the slow-burning but equally devastating nature crisis has been invisible to large parts of the population. The world faces an accelerating loss of biodiversity, approximately 1 million animal and plant species are at risk of extinction, many of which could be completely wiped out within the next few years. Humanity must solve the climate and nature crises together or solve neither.

climateaction_planetary_crisis2_pollution

Air, land and sea pollution around the world have reached unprecedented levels. Beyond the devastating impact on nature, it is now also one of the main causes of premature death in the world. Nine out of ten people worldwide breathe air that contains levels of pollutants that exceed WHO guidelines. We need scalable solutions to address pollution more than ever.

Climate change is the defining crisis of our time. Rapidly rising temperatures are fuelling environmental degradation, natural disasters, weather extremes, food and water insecurity, conflict, and terrorism. “We are in the fight of our lives, and we are losing” Antonio Guterres told delegates at the COP27 summit. We need bold, urgent and radical collective action.

The Changemakers for the Planet programme provides young leaders with bespoke support for their changemaking journey, in-person summits, funding for collaborative efforts and life-long access to ChangemakerXchange’s vibrant global network of changemakers & activists.

“The programme became the perfect platform for collaboration, learning, and mutual encouragement, enabling us to grow together. 10/10 recommended!”

— Feedback from a participant at Changemakers for the Planet at LCAW 2026

CXC EmpathyXchange 2021 © Hieronymus Caspar Rönneper 03

“What a wonderful curated week full of inspiration, well-being and co-creation. There are incredible changemakers in the continent of Africa.”

— Feedback from a participant at Changemakers for the Planet in Sub-Saharan Africa 2025

Collaboration CXC South Africa 2018 © Ashoka Africa

“This retreat was a powerful reminder that rest and recovery are not luxuries, they are essential to resistance.”

— Feedback from a participant at Changemakers for the Planet in US/Canada 2025

“Being a member of this amazing group of people who are all committed to making great changes for the earth makes me feel really honored.”

— Feedback from a participant at Changemakers for the Planet in MENA 2024

“This is the school of life every kid should have access to. Every adult, too. And it made me connect deeply with wonderful humans and nature.”

— Feedback from a participant at Changemakers for the Planet in Europe 2024

Post It CM4TP LatAm 2023_Agustina Olmedo y Federico Sevilla

“For the first time, I had the opportunity to be in a place that really cared about me as a person, as an individual, so that I could make a difference and act for the planet.”

— Feedback from a participant at Changemakers for the Planet in Latin America 2023

At the heart of ChangemakerXchange is a vibrant close-knit community of nearly 1,500 changemakers from 130 countries working on a vast range of issues. Here are just a handful of climate changemakers who have taken part in this programme!

Jule is the Director of World’s Youth for Climate Justice, a driving force behind the ICJ climate change ruling. She is now focused on seeding implementation, working with law clinics to translate the ruling into actionable litigation at the national level.
Jule Schnakenberg

Jose represents the State of Amazonas, where he works to empower Indigenous youth to protect biodiversity hotspots and lead climate action within their communities.
Jose Gudiño

Mohamed developed Sealeva, a biomaterial that converts seaweed waste into hard biopolymers, and co-authored the Youth Pre-Distribution Pact for COP30. At LCAW he is looking to move Sealeva from R&D to pilot production and build a coalition around seaweed as a nature-based circular economy solution.
Mohamed Elamir

Fatou is the Founder of Clean Earth Gambia, a Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 honouree, and Lead Gender Negotiator for The Gambia at COP30, where she was instrumental in the UK’s £165 million gender-climate funding commitment.
Fatou Jeng

Marie is advancing rrreefs’ mission to regenerate degraded coral reefs at a global scale. She is working to restore rich marine biodiversity and build healthier oceans for future generations.
Marie Griesmar

Steve is restoring and protecting degraded mangrove forests along the Kenyan coast through Youth Pawa. He is helping strengthen coastal ecosystems while advancing community-led conservation.
Steve Misati

Axel has trained over 500 young negotiators from 75 countries and is coordinating an Impact Report on young people’s contributions to the UN climate agenda for the Secretary-General’s Youth Advisory Group, alongside doctoral research at the Stockholm Resilience Centre.
Axel Eriksson

Francielly is helping bridge the valuation gap of marine ecosystems by making their conservation and restoration measurable and investable. Through benthos, she is turning ocean protection into an opportunity that benefits both nature and the economy.
Francielly Monteiro

Lauren is equipping youth, BIPOC communities, and newcomers with the skills and support needed to build successful careers in the green economy. Through Green Career Centre, she is helping make climate-focused work more accessible and inclusive.
Lauren Castelino

Nicolas coordinates the Loss and Damage Youth Coalition globally, focused on ensuring frontline communities can access funding and that responsible parties are held accountable. At LCAW he is pushing for stronger financial commitments to climate justice at a genuinely live moment for the issue.
Nicolas Finnemore Gaulin

Salma is expanding access to low-tech, efficient wastewater treatment through GREEN WATECH. She is enabling rural communities to safely reuse treated water for vegetable irrigation.
Salma Bougarrani

Evolena is making second-hand shopping as seamless as buying new through Faircado’s AI-powered shopping assistant. She is helping make recommerce the new standard, reducing waste by giving existing products a second life.
Evolena de Wilde d’Estmael

The planetary crisis demands bold, collaborative action and greater investment in the people driving systems-changing solutions. Building on the momentum of Changemakers for the Planet, we are seeking philanthropic and institutional partners to support future cohorts and help us identify, support, connect, and amplify the next generation of young changemakers developing systems-changing solutions to address the planetary crisis.

More opportunities for changemakers based / with impact in other regions will be announced soon. Sign up to our waitlist now and stay tuned!

While our approach to climate action is rooted in systems-level change, it is complemented by the belief that individual action and embodying our own principles and values is crucial.

We have developed a Sustainability Manifesto that guides our sustainability efforts and ensures all our activities minimise their negative impact on the environment. For example, this includes the use of 100% renewable energy for our servers and our office, a “vegan only” office policy, and sustainable stationery.

Our Sustainability Manifesto

All our staff have the option to devote 10% of their time to climate action initiatives, including joining protests and supporting local grassroots initiatives.

We offset the carbon emissions of ALL our historic, current, and future activities, but also acknowledge the limits of traditional offsetting and, particularly due to the fact that ChangemakerXchange is incorporated in Germany we have reframed our offsets as ‘Climate reparations’ and through this, we make direct donations to youth-led climate action in the Global South.

Check out our list of climate action resources for changemakers where you can find everything from ‘navigating climate grief’ to tools to assess how well your company or country is performing on climate measures to digital storytelling toolkits for climate activists.

Changemakers
for the Planet

Supporting changemakers with systems-changing solutions
for the planet.

A Global Initiative

Supporting Changemakers
at Key Climate Convenings

What We Do

The Initiative Tackles All Dimensions of the Planetary Crisis

Biodiversity

Pollution

Climate

Feedback from Recent Programmes

Our Community

Support the Upcoming Cohort

Walking the walk

Changemakersfor the Planet

Supporting changemakers with systems-changing solutionsfor the planet.

A Global Initiative

Supporting Changemakers at Key Climate Convenings

What We Do

The Initiative Tackles All Dimensions of the Planetary Crisis

Biodiversity

Pollution

Climate

Feedback from Recent Programmes

Our Community

Support the Upcoming Cohort

Walking the walk

Changemakers
for the Planet

Supporting changemakers with systems-changing solutions
for the planet.

Supporting Changemakers
at Key Climate Convenings