In the August 24, 2015, issue, The New Yorker posits that Christiana Figueres may be “the woman who could stop climate change.” In her role as the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Figueres is tasked with persuading the leaders of 195 countries to reduce carbon emissions.
“You know, I think that this whole climate thing is a very interesting learning ground for humanity,” Figueres is quoted by the magazine. “I’m an anthropologist, so I look at the history of mankind. And where we are now is that we see that nations are interlinked, inextricably, and that what one does has an impact on the others. … So I look at all of this and I go, This is so cool—to be alive right now!”
A former Winrock board member, Figueres was the Climate Leadership honoree at the American Carbon Registry’s 2013 awards ceremony.