Climate Cardinals

Climate Cardinals
Founded2020
FounderSophia Kianni
TypeYouth-led organization
PurposeClimate education and translation
Region served
Worldwide
President
Sophia Kianni
Executive director
Hikaru Wakeel Hayakawa
Volunteers19,000+
Websitewww.climatecardinals.org

Climate Cardinals is a global, youth-focused organization focused on making climate action accessible to non-English speakers through large-scale translation and education initiatives. Since its launch in 2020, Climate Cardinals has grown into one of the world's largest climate education organizations.

History

Climate Cardinals was founded in 2020 by climate activist Sophia Kianni, together with a group of high school friends.[1] The idea emerged from Kianni's experience visiting relatives in Iran, where she discovered that her family—and billions of others—had little access to climate information in their first language. Kianni learned that the vast majority of peer-reviewed climate research is published in English, despite the fact that the majority of the world's population does not speak the language.[1][2]

A small volunteer initiative quickly scaled into a global movement. Early volunteers included Hikaru Wakeel Hayakawa, Rohan Arora, and Joe Hobbs.[3]

Climate Cardinals has since partnered with major institutions—including the United Nations, Clinton Global Initiative, and Deloitte, and received philanthropic support from Google in 2023 to expand its translation capacity.[4][5]

In September 2024, Hayakawa was appointed full-time executive director.[6]

Description

Mission

Climate Cardinals is a volunteer-run not-for profit global, youth-focused organization based in the United States. It is a focused on making climate action accessible to non-English speakers through large-scale translation and education initiatives. Its mission is to break language and action barriers in the climate movement so every community can take action and protect their future.[3][7][8]

Governance and structure

Climate Cardinals is a fiscally sponsored project under Future Incubator, a joint program between Registration Nation and Future Coalition.[3]

As of January 2026, the organization is led by founder president Sophia Kianni and executive director Hikaru Wakeel Hayakawa.[9]

Climate Cardinals is advised by environmental leaders and policy experts, including:[10]

  • Hugh Evans – CEO & co-founder of Global Citizen
  • Sylvia Earle – Oceanographer and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence
  • Ryan Hathaway – Biden-Harris White House Director of Environmental Justice

Programs and activities

Climate Cardinals runs the largest translation project in the climate sector, making climate information accessible in 105+ languages. Volunteers and professional linguists work together to provide free translations for grassroots organizations and affordable services for larger institutions. Revenue from translation services fuels youth-led climate education efforts.[11][3]

The organization's Chapters Program coordinates more than 85+ student-led chapters in 20+ countries, with 84% located in the Global South. These chapters focus on local climate education, advocacy, and action tailored to community needs.[3]

The Fellowship Program trains the next generation of social impact leaders. Since its launch, 250 fellows have completed the program, with alumni going on to advise the WHO Director-General and receive scholarships to leading universities.[3]

Participation in other groups

The organization's leadership has participated in advisory groups, including:

Recognition and media coverage

Founder Sophia Kianni has been recognized in a number of ways for her creation of Climate Cardinals as well as other work, including:

Hikaru Wakeel Hayakawa was named in the "Grist 50" list in 2024.[19]

References

  1. ^ a b Kart, Jeff (May 26, 2020). "Climate Cardinals Website Enlists Students To Translate Climate Change Information, Earn Community Service Hours". Forbes. Archived from the original on May 28, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  2. ^ Kart, Jeff. "Youth Activist Uses Quarantine To Start Nonprofit That Translates Climate Change Information From English To Other Languages." Forbes. Retrieved 2025-2-15.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Why Climate Cardinals?". Climate Cardinals. Archived from the original on January 1, 2026. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
  4. ^ Kart, Jeff (April 22, 2024). "Climate Cardinals Plans To Double Its Science Translation Efforts With New Google Backing". Forbes. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
  5. ^ Freedman, Andrew (April 23, 2024). "Youth-oriented group gets climate funding from Google". Axios. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
  6. ^ "Rising Stars: Hikaru Hayakawa, Executive Director of Climate Cardinals". SDG News. September 12, 2024. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
  7. ^ About Climate Cardinals. Climate Cardinals. Retrieved 2025-2-15.
  8. ^ "Climate Cardinals." UNESCO. Retrieved 2025-2-15.
  9. ^ "Our People". Climate Cardinals. August 8, 2023. Archived from the original on January 4, 2026. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
  10. ^ "Climate Cardinals Announces Inaugural Advisory Board." Climate Cardinals. Retrieved 2025-2-15.
  11. ^ Horn-Muller, Ayurella. "AI is shattering climate language barriers." Axios. Retrieved 2025-2-15.
  12. ^ "First Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change." United Nations. Retrieved 2025-2-15.
  13. ^ "UNESCO Youth Climate Action Network." UNESCO. Retrieved 2025-2-15.
  14. ^ "WHO Youth Council Members." World Health Organization. Retrieved 2025-2-15.
  15. ^ "National Environmental Youth Advisory Council-Council Members." U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved 2025-2-15.
  16. ^ "Sophia Kianni". Forbes. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
  17. ^ "Sophia Danube Kianni". Explorer. National Geographic. April 15, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
  18. ^ "BBC 100 Women 2023." BBC. Retrieved 2025-2-15.
  19. ^ "Grist 50 2024". GRist. August 28, 2025. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.