Women have long been leaders in the fight against climate change. This week, six such activists have been honored for their work toward saving the planet.
The Goldman Environmental Prize, known also as the “Green Nobel Prize,” announced its 2026 honorees on Monday. The six individuals selected – Iroro Tanshi, Borim Kim, Sarah Finch, Theonila Roka Matbob, Alannah Acaq Hurley and Yuvelis Morales Blanco – come from around the globe, from the U.S. and U.K. to Nigeria and Papua New Guinea.
Their methodologies widely vary, too. Tanshi, for example, developed a wildfire prevention system that’s managed by a nearby community. Hurley, meanwhile, galvanized members of 15 Indigenous nations, as well as Alaskans and local nonprofits, to collectively shut down the digging of an especially large open-pit mine. Others on the list are fighting for transparency from corporations, holding leaders accountable for ecological damage sustained on their watch, and launching youth-led organizations dedicated to taking pro-climate actions.
What unifies this year’s winners is that all of them are women.
“While we continue to fight uphill to protect the environment and implement lifesaving climate policies — in the U.S. and globally — it is clear that true leaders can be found all around us,” John Goldman, vice president of the Goldman Environmental Foundation, said.
He continued: “I am especially thrilled to honor our first-ever cohort of six women, as this is a powerful reflection of the absolutely central role that women play in the environmental community globally.”
Studies show that women are, indeed, more concerned about climate change as a political issue – perhaps in part because the problem of climate change disproportionately impacts them. In a recent article, UN Women stated that “the climate crisis is not ‘gender neutral,’” with researchers around the world finding that women are 68% more likely to develop health issues due to climate change – and 14 times more likely to die in climate-related crises.
UN officials added that “the lived experiences, rights, and meaningful participation of all women and girls … must be kept front and center as we work towards a healthier, safer and more equitable world for all.”
This year’s Goldman Environmental Prize winners were honored in a ceremony earlier this week, and will be awarded financial assistance to continue their work – starting with a $200,000 prize. Their achievements stand as recognition, Goldman says, that “courage, hard work and hope go a long way toward creating meaningful progress.”
The Goldman Prize was founded in 1989 by San Francisco-based civic leaders Richard and Rhoda Goldman. Since its inception, the Prize reports doling out over $33 million in prize money to just about 240 recipients hailing from 98 different countries. Of those, 112 to date have been women.
