Understanding Climate History – Dr. Jean Jouzel, IPCC Vice President

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This month of October, Nicolas Beaumont and Maxime Riché photographed Dr. Jean Jouzel, the famous French climatologist and glaciologist, well known for his research on paleoclimatology. Vice President of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) since 2002, he received collectively the Nobel Peace Prize with the IPCC in 2007. His research work has allowed to reconstruct the history of climate on a scale never attained before, thus increasing the understanding of human-induced climate change.

He carries out his research activities from the French Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique (CEA) in Saclay, near Paris.

Photos and Video by Nicolas Beaumont. © Nicolas Beaumont and Climate Heroes.

Ecuador, Going against the flow: Dr. Ivonne Baki

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The latest work by Climate Heroes features Dr. Ivonne Baki, Ecuadorian Secretary of State, who is a caring international environmentalist, and a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador.

Photographed by Maxime Riché in Paris, Dr. Baki leads the Yasuní-ITT Initiative, in conjunction with the UNDP, to protect one of the most biodiverse areas in the world in the Amazon from oil drilling and the release of devastating amounts of CO2.

Photos by Maxime Riché, Video by Nicolas Beaumont. © Maxime Riché, Nicolas Beaumont and Climate Heroes.

Kenya, Achim Steiner, Executive Director, UNEP

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Achim Steiner is well known for speaking on climate change and the green economy.

Thanks to his leadership among others, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is a leading proponent of the Green Economy Initiative (GEI) designed to assist governments in “greening” their economies by reshaping and refocusing policies and investments towards a range of sectors. These include clean technologies, renewable energies, water services, green transportation, waste management, green buildings and sustainable agriculture and forest management.

Photos by Jonathan Kalan. © Jonathan Kalan and Climate Heroes.

Thailand, David Against Goliath – Jintana Kaewkao

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Becoming a full-time environmental activist was never part of the plan. For Jintana Kaewkao, a 50 year old mother of three from Thailand’s Prajuab kirikhan province, there was no need to be in her quiet coastal village.

But in early 2000 all that changed. One of Thailand’s largest electricty company, Union Power Development Ltd Company, craftily started buying up pieces of coastal land from the villagers claiming it planned to built a resort which would offer employment opportunity away from the usual farming or fishing. Yet, as soon as all the land was under its ownership the plan suddenly changed. The company anounced that it was actually going to build a coal power plant, using the sea as a transport route for the coal and began cutting down over 10,000 coconut trees that lined the coastline.

Jintana then took charge and led the village on a ‘no-going back’ mission to stop the construction of the power plant once and for all.

Photos and Video by Luke Duggleby. © Luke Duggleby and Climate Heroes.

Samsø, a Wind of Change

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Soren, Brian and Erik are the intitiators of the Sustainable Island project in Samso, Denmark. They invested their time and money in making Samso a community fully based on renewable energies.
Maxime Riché is back from a 10 day stay with them on the Island on Samso, to document their new lifestyle and beliefs.

Photos and Video by Maxime Riché. © Maxime Riché and Climate Heroes.

Sumatra, Giving Up Illegal Logging

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Subari, Amir, Sryiadi and Mr Paryoto are former workers involved in the illegal deforestation of Sumatra. They chose to stop this activity. Today they are land owner, manager of a coffee and fruit farm, manual worker or Secretary of Village and coffee producer.
Maxime Riché is back from a month in Sumatra, Indonesia, where he documented their new lifestyle and beliefs.

Photos and Video by Maxime Riché. © Maxime Riché and Climate Heroes.