Kathy Jetn̄il-Kijiner represents her islands twice over: as a climate envoy in international negotiations, and as a poet who makes the world feel what the numbers cannot. Her performances carry the Marshall Islands' intertwined stories of climate justice and nuclear justice onto the world's biggest stages.
At home she founded Jo-Jikum, a youth organization where a new generation of Marshallese activists finds its voice through culture – weaving sessions where art, heritage and hard conversations about a disappearing homeland meet. Her work proves that data moves policy, but stories move people.
Achievements
- International climate envoy for the Marshall Islands
- Founded Jo-Jikum, empowering Marshallese youth through culture and climate action
- Internationally celebrated climate poetry connecting climate and nuclear justice
- Mentors a new generation of Pacific climate leaders
In Planet vs. Patriarchy: Introduction – Why climate change is about women.