Joshua Amponsem

Joshua Amponsem
Born (1991-08-08) 8 August 1991
Obuasi, Ghana
EducationUnited Nations University, Institute of Environment and Human Security
Alma materUniversity of Cape Coast
OccupationsClimate and environmental activist, youth engagement expert, climate adaptation practitioner
Years active2015–present
Notable work
MovementInternational Youth Climate Movement

Joshua Amponsem (born 1991) is a climate advocate and the founder of Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO).[1][2] He was the climate specialist at the Office of the UN Secretary General's Envoy on Youth[3] and the lead author of Adapt for Our Future,[4] a research paper on the role of youth in climate adaptation.[5][6][7] His work has focused on climate action, circular economy[8] and climate change adaptation.[9][10][11][12] He has contributed to scientific publications on waste management, resilience and a recent paper on Global Warming with James Hansen.[13][14] He is a founding Director of the Youth Climate Justice Fund (YCJF) and advisory roles for TED Countdown, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), and the Quadrature Climate Foundation (QCF). [15]

Early life and education

Amponsem was born in Ghana.[16] He studied Environmental Science at the University of Cape Coast, where he was first introduced to climate change, sustainability, and environmental risk.[17]

He later pursued postgraduate studies in Geography of Environmental Risks and Human Security at the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU‑EHS) in Bonn, Germany.[11]

Climate advocacy and philanthropy

Amponsem started climate advocacy in 2014 as a Bachelor student at the University of Cape Coast where he first learnt about climate change.[18] Amponsem joined the Ghana Youth Environmental Movement to advocate for renewable energy in Accra.[19][20] He founded the Green Africa Youth Organization as a student initiative to deliver climate solutions. His motivation is to "translate academic conversations from the classroom into practical solutions for communities".[21]

Amponsem co-authored a book, The Power of the Feminine: Facing Shadow Evoking Light.[22] In 2018, he attended the UNFCCC Adaptation Committee meeting and began advocating for climate finance to frontline communities.[21][23][24][25]

Amponsem’s climate advocacy emphasizes locally-led leadership, funding to grassroots climate actors, and decolonising climate finance.[26] He has been vocal about the need for philanthropic systems to shift power and resources toward frontline youth movements, highlighting that a disproportionally small share of global climate funding reaches grassroots organisations in the Global South.

He has also engaged with IRENA’s Global Council on Enabling Youth Action for SDG 7, advising collaborative efforts on sustainable energy and youth engagement.[27]

Initiatives

He has been an adaptation fellow at the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) since 2020.[28] He has been a voice for climate adaptation[29][30][31] and the international youth climate movement.[32][33][34][35] He attends key UN events as a speaker to discuss the importance of youth participation in climate action.[36][37][38][39] He was one of judges of Afri-Plastics Challenge initiative where he called for investing in waste management innovation to tackle plastic pollution.[40][41][42]

Amponsem previously served as Climate Lead at the Office of the United Nations Secretary‑General’s Envoy on Youth, where he contributed to initiatives designed to strengthen youth participation in global climate governance. In this role, he supported policy engagement, capacity building, and coordination between youth groups and international institutions.[43]

Through the Youth Climate Justice Fund, Amponsem has participated in high-level dialogues and policy forums aimed at bridging financing gaps for youth-led climate justice efforts and strengthening trust-based, flexible funding mechanisms. [33]

Amponsem is the lead author of Adapt for Our Future, a research paper focused on youth and climate adaptation.[4] In addition, he serves as an advisor on climate philanthropy, youth leadership and systems reform, including advisory roles with TED Countdown and the Quadrature Climate Foundation (QCF), among other international initiatives.

Writings

Amponsem has authored and co-authored a range of articles and opinion pieces published across international media and policy platforms, focusing on climate justice, youth leadership, and environmental governance.[44] In December 2024, he published “The absurd inequality of climate work” with TED Talks Daily, examining structural inequities within the global climate sector and calling for institutional reform.[45]

Amponsem also wrote “More power to youth: Doing climate philanthropy differently” for Alliance Magazine.[46] His article “Why the world needs a treaty on plastic pollution,” published by the World Economic Forum Agenda, framed plastic pollution as a systemic climate and governance issue requiring international cooperation.[47]

References

  1. ^ Suzuki, Mayumi (28 July 2021). "In Ghana, two young men are shaping climate justice for the Global South". Landscape News. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  2. ^ "Joshua Amponsem Climate Lead". Bloomberg Philanthropies. Archived from the original on 23 October 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  3. ^ "Climate and Health: Empowering Women and Youth to Drive Climate Solutions". AHAIC. 9 March 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Adapt for our Future". Global Center on Adaptation. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  5. ^ "International Youth Day: engaging youth for climate action". UNU-EHS. 12 August 2020. Archived from the original on 25 September 2020.
  6. ^ Sato, Mayumi (29 July 2021). "In Ghana, two young men are changing what climate justice looks like in the Global South". Landscape News.
  7. ^ "Climate activist Joshua Amponsem urges world leaders to prioritize climate adaptation". GhanaWeb. 26 January 2021.
  8. ^ Erdiaw-Kwasie, Michael Odei; Alam, G. M. Monirul (21 August 2023). Circular Economy Strategies and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer Nature. ISBN 978-981-99-3083-8.
  9. ^ Amponsem, Joshua; Sänger, Nathalie; Graf, Marie-Claire (19 November 2021), Carrillo, Francisco J.; Garner, Cathy (eds.), "A youth perspective ongreen local urban futures", City Preparedness for the Climate Crisis, Edward Elgar Publishing, doi:10.4337/9781800883666.00043, ISBN 978-1-80088-366-6, retrieved 17 March 2025{{citation}}: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN (link)
  10. ^ "Youth4ClimateLive Episode 8: Driving Adaptation and Resilience". UNEP. 22 January 2021.
  11. ^ a b "Joshua Amponsem". Bloomberg Philanthropies. Archived from the original on 23 October 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  12. ^ "Ecology versus economy in Ghana – DW – 07/27/2017". dw.com. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  13. ^ Hansen, James E.; Kharecha, Pushker; Sato, Makiko; Tselioudis, George; et al. (2 January 2025). "Global Warming Has Accelerated: Are the United Nations and the Public Well-Informed?". Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development. 67 (1): 6–44. Bibcode:2025ESPSD..67....6H. doi:10.1080/00139157.2025.2434494. ISSN 0013-9157.
  14. ^ Amponsem, Joshua; Sänger, Nathalie; Graf, Marie-Claire (19 November 2021), "A youth perspective ongreen local urban futures", City Preparedness for the Climate Crisis, Edward Elgar Publishing, pp. 331–343, doi:10.4337/9781800883666.00043, ISBN 978-1-80088-366-6, retrieved 8 April 2025{{citation}}: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN (link)
  15. ^ Amponsem, Joshua (18 December 2024). The absurd inequality of climate work — and how to fix it. Retrieved 8 April 2025 – via www.ted.com.
  16. ^ "Joshua Amponsem - Agenda Contributor". World Economic Forum. Archived from the original on 22 January 2026. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  17. ^ louis.mensah (21 May 2024). "GAYO donates laboratory equipment to Department of Environmental Science". Department of Classics and Philosophy. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  18. ^ "UNFCCC - COP26". unfccc-cop26.streamworld.de. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  19. ^ eribake, akintayo (14 December 2015). "Climate: Ghanaian activists demand an end to coal". Vanguard. Lagos, Nigeria. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  20. ^ UNEP, Samsung Engineering and. "Earth Day in Ghana - No Coal Our Goal. - Ambassador report - Our Actions - Tunza Eco Generation". tunza.eco-generation.org. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  21. ^ a b Asamoah-Gyadu, Griselda (26 April 2022). "Joshua Amponsem: Championing Climate Action from Cape Coast to COP26". Ecothusiasm. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  22. ^ Amponsem, Joshua; Sharling, Dhardon; Rafea, Aliaa; Mijares, Sharon G.; Mallory, Mary. The Power of the Feminine: Facing Shadow Evoking Light. ASIN B08LCGK7P1.
  23. ^ "Virtual workshop: Youth engagement to enhance adaptation action". UNFCCC TEP-A. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  24. ^ Derler, Zak (9 February 2022). "How African youth are helping to define climate adaptation". Climate Home News. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  25. ^ "UN Climate Change on TikTok". TikTok. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  26. ^ "Decolonising climate finance & promote local leadership – Climate Hive | Climate KIC Community Platform". 5 November 2025. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
  27. ^ "Global Council on SDG7 Sets Youth-focused Agenda". www.irena.org. Archived from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
  28. ^ "Global Center for Adaptation (GCA): high-level speakers call for a strong and efficient partnership for the adaptation of the African continent in the face of climate change". Alwihda Info. 17 September 2020.
  29. ^ UN SDG Action Campaign (7 January 2025). Joshua Amponsem | Resilience | #COP29 #ClimateAction #ActNow #GlobalGoals. Retrieved 17 March 2025 – via YouTube.
  30. ^ Collective Responsibility (26 April 2024). Adapting to Climate Change | Joshua Amponsem & Nathanial Matthews. Retrieved 17 March 2025 – via YouTube.
  31. ^ Enu, Kirk Bright; Amponsem, Joshua; Alugnoa, Desmond; Bonsu, Betty Osei; Nyamekye, Andy Bonaventure (2023), Erdiaw-Kwasie, Michael Odei; Alam, G. M. Monirul (eds.), "GAYO's Sustainable Community Waste Management Model: Impacts and Lessons For Circular Futures", Circular Economy Strategies and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore, pp. 641–670, doi:10.1007/978-981-99-3083-8_20, ISBN 978-981-99-3082-1, retrieved 17 March 2025{{citation}}: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN (link)
  32. ^ NDC Partnership (28 February 2023). NDC Partnership Youth Wave: Joshua Amponsem. Retrieved 17 March 2025 – via YouTube.
  33. ^ a b Bloomberg Philanthropies (27 September 2022). Joshua Amponsem Urges Support of the Youth Climate Justice Movement. Retrieved 17 March 2025 – via YouTube.
  34. ^ "Ghana launches Youth Climate Council". Africa Climate Reports. 25 September 2021.
  35. ^ "Ecology versus economy in Ghana". Deutsche Welle. 27 July 2017.
  36. ^ "UN Climate Change Conference – December 2019". UNFCCC.
  37. ^ "Youth, community and green jobs in the developing world". SNV.
  38. ^ "Virtual workshop: Youth engagement to enhance adaptation action". UNFCCC TEP-A. 14 July 2020.
  39. ^ Bloomberg Live (12 July 2024). Community Leaders on Impactful Climate Organizing. Retrieved 17 March 2025 – via YouTube.
  40. ^ Bellefeuille, Lauren (22 September 2021). "Afri-Plastics Challenge: Meet Our Judges". Afri-Plastics Challenge.
  41. ^ Cheam, Jessica (1 June 2022). "The Global Plastics Treaty: We need speed, standards, scale and teeth". Eco-Business.com.
  42. ^ Waruru, Maina (1 March 2022). "UNEA 5.2: UN assembly to come up with an agreement on plastic pollution". Down to Earth.
  43. ^ "Moral Money Summit Africa 2023 Agenda - FT Live Event". moralmoneyafrica.live.ft.com. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
  44. ^ "Transforming Climate Youth Leadership Across Africa - Youth Climate Justice Fund". English. 20 December 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  45. ^ "The absurd inequality of climate work — and how to fix it | TED Talk Embed". www.ted.com. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  46. ^ Amponsem, Joshua (14 September 2023). "More power to youth: Doing climate philanthropy differently". Alliance magazine. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  47. ^ "Here's why the world needs a treaty on plastic pollution". World Economic Forum. Archived from the original on 23 January 2026. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
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