Adélaïde Charlier
Belgian activist for social and climate justice, Adélaïde Charlier rose to prominence as co-founder and spokesperson for Youth for Climate, a movement that mobilized tens of thousands of young people across Belgium starting in 2019. Inspired by Greta Thunberg and, before her, by Severn Cullis-Suzuki, she embodies a new generation determined to hold governments accountable for concrete action in the face of the climate emergency.
Adélaïde has forged a strong bond with Chief Raoni, the global symbol of Amazon rainforest protection and Indigenous rights. In 2019, invited to attend COP25 in Madrid, she instead chose to travel to the Amazon to meet with communities directly threatened by deforestation — declaring that “the real COP was over there.” This decision marked a turning point in her journey, affirming the need to connect climate struggles with Indigenous resistance.
In the film Amazonia, the Heart of Mother Earth, she passionately amplifies the voice of youth seeking justice and solidarity, building a bridge between grassroots climate movements in the Global North and Indigenous resistance in the Global South.