Keynote Speaker:
Nemonte Nenquimo
The Penn State Climate Consortium has announced the keynote speaker for the 2025 Climate Solutions Symposium will be Nemonte Nenquimo, an Indigenous activist and leader of the Waorani Nation from Ecuador’s Amazon region. She is an author and co-founder of organizations that are committed to creating sustainable solutions by working alongside Indigenous communities to secure basic necessities and protect Indigenous land from industrial threats.
Nenquimo was born in Ecuador’s Amazon, one of the most biodiverse and threatened rainforests on the planet. Nenquimo led her people in a historic legal victory, protecting half a million acres of rainforest from oil drilling and setting a precedent for Indigenous rights across the region.
Her leadership has been widely recognized through honors such as:
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Goldman Environmental Prize for Central and South America
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United Nations’ Champions of the Earth Award
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BBC’s 100 Women List
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TIME list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World
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TIME 100 Climate List
Additionally, Nenquimo is the co-author of her acclaimed memoir “We Will Be Jaguars.”