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Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu, has been named as a UNEP ‘Champion of the Earth’ for 2025, according to a statement by the UN body.
Sahu has been awarded in the ‘Inspiration and Action’ category. The UNEP statement noted that Sahu is a pioneer in sustainable cooling and ecosystem restoration. Her initiatives have created 2.5 million green jobs, expanded forest cover, and integrated heat adaptation into infrastructure, benefiting 12 million people and setting a model for climate resilience, it added.
“Even as the planet heats up, the world’s cities are heating ever faster. Into these concrete jungles, Supriya Sahu has brought the cooling spray of nature, helping millions of people, among them thousands of schoolchildren, cope with the debilitating summer heat of Tamil Nadu, India. Her leadership demonstrates not just the importance of using nature to cool passively — avoiding the huge energy burden of air-conditioning — but the importance of sub-national leadership in addressing the climate crisis,” Inger Andersen, under-secretary-general of the United Nations and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, said.
According to the UNEP, this year’s laureates’ work focuses on the crisis of climate change. Global temperatures are on track to exceed 1.5°C within the next decade, and current pledges fall short of Paris Agreement goals. Adaptation costs for developing countries could reach $310–$365 billion annually by 2035, twelve times current funding levels.
“Yet, these Champions prove that action is possible—and powerful. Cutting methane today can cool the planet within years, improve air quality, and create jobs. Restoring forests safeguards water, reduces disasters, and protects biodiversity. Sustainable cooling and resilient buildings save lives, preserve food and vaccines, and keep economies productive. Climate justice ensures that vulnerable communities have a voice and legal protection,” the statement noted.
Other Champions of this year include the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change, a youth-led NGO that secured a landmark opinion from the International Court of Justice affirming states’ legal obligations to prevent climate harm and protect human rights. Their campaign is reshaping global climate law and empowering vulnerable nations, as per UNEP.
While this organisation was awarded in the ‘Policy Leadership’ category, Mariam Issoufou, the principal and founder of Mariam Issoufou Architects from Niger has been awarded in the ‘Entrepreneurial Vision’ category. “By grounding her architecture in local materials and cultural heritage, Ms. Issoufou is redefining sustainable, climate-resilient buildings across the Sahel and inspiring a new generation of designers shaping Africa’s built environment. Through projects like the Hikma Community Complex in Niger, she pioneers passive cooling techniques that keep buildings up to 10°C cooler without air conditioning,” the statement said.
Other Champions include Imazon, a research institute from Brazil. Awarded in the ‘Science and Innovation’ category, Imazon’s work has strengthened forest governance, supported thousands of legal cases, and revealed the scale of illegal deforestation—driving systemic change in the Amazon.
The UNEP’s Champions of the Earth honours individuals, groups, and organisations whose actions have a transformative impact on the environment. The award is the UN's highest environmental honour.