Renata Koch Alvarenga

Renata Koch Alvarenga, from Brazil, is a leading voice for gender equality and youth leadership in the global climate movement, having been involved in climate justice spaces for the past 9 years. She founded the youth-led and Brazil-based organization EmpoderaClima at 22 years old, to raise awareness of the need for women’s empowerment in climate decision-making spaces, and advocate for girl’s education and climate action in the Global South – especially in Latin America and the Caribbean.

In 2021, Alvarenga was the first young Brazilian to speak at the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW65) opening, alongside the UN Secretary-General. That same year, she was nominated by Malala Yousafzai as a young leader to watch at the UN COP26. She is part of the 2022 class of Environmental Educators 30 Under 30, and she has been on boards, youth councils, and leadership programs of various international organizations, including UN Women, the UN Girls’ Education Initiative, the World Economic Forum, Vital Voices, Bloomberg, and the New York Times. Recently, Alvarenga was awarded the inaugural Emerging Leaders Beautiful Forces grant by Estée Lauder for her innovative and bold work with young women in Brazil.

Alvarenga graduated with a Master's in Public Policy from Harvard University, where she researched climate finance and resilience and worked with the Belfer Center for International Relations and the Center for International Development, doing fieldwork in Puerto Rico and Barbados. Alvarenga has professional experience in global climate policy and diplomacy, having worked at the British Mission in Brazil, the United Nations Youth Office, and the World Bank Headquarters.