This week, Mexico elected its first female president and the world’s first national leader, who is also a climate scientist. Claudia Sheinbaum has a PhD in energy engineering and was part of a UN climate change panel that won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.

She inherits a tough gig. Mexico is the world’s 11th largest oil producer, and under her predecessor, Mexico dropped seven places on the Climate Change Performance Index to 38th. Ms. Shienbaum has to juggle competing factors: how to support the country’s largest oil and gas company, PEMEX – the world’s most indebted fossil fuel company – while meeting her goal of 50% renewable energy by 2030. Mexico expert Shannon K. O’Neil said, “Claudia is an environmental scientist and unlike her mentor, (Andrés Manuel López Obrador – the former president), believes in decarbonization and in boosting renewables.”

She brings a strong environmental legacy from her time as the Mayor of Mexico City, where she implemented solar panels on public buildings, zero-emission public transport, and cycling paths across the city. She wrote a paper on how to transition Mexico away from oil and gas to renewables. 

Sheinbaum is not the only female national leader championing climate action: This week, Iceland elected Halla Tomasdottiras their new President. Tomasdottir moves into the role after leading The B Team, a global nonprofit focused on integrating climate and equality into business practices, and she previously founded a responsible investment firm. These amazing women are the vanguard of a trend in female climate leaders – here are a few of the many exemplary leaders.

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