The San Francisco-based Climate Breakthrough has announced the recipients of its 2023 Climate Breakthrough Award, which supports climate mitigation efforts considered too ambitious or early-stage by traditional funders.

This year’s recipients are Gita Syahrani of Indonesia, who has spent her career convening industries, jurisdictions, development partners and communities to spur sustainability action in Indonesia, and Jane Fleming Kleeb of the United States, who was a key figure behind the successful fight against the Keystone XL pipeline. Each will receive $3 million over at least three years. Syahrani plans to use her award to demonstrate a new economic model for Indonesia by catalyzing nature-based businesses in forest- and peatland-rich regions. Fleming Kleeb intends to build alliances among communities around their land preservation, break down opposition to renewable energy development, and advocate clean energy development that is beneficial to local residents through what she calls the “American Energy Dividend.”

Launched in 2016 and funded by the David and Lucile Packard, IKEA, Quadrature Climate, Good Energies, and JPB foundations and Vere Initiatives, to date the Climate Breakthrough Award has supported 18 individuals and one team of three.

“Gita and Jane are two inspiring leaders who have already made remarkable contributions to addressing the climate crisis, and now they’re setting their sights on even more ambitious goals,” said Climate Breakthrough executive director Savanna Ferguson. “I’m grateful that Climate Breakthrough can serve as a catalyst for their transformative climate efforts. Both intend to pursue work at a national level, which, based as they are in two of the world’s largest emitters, has the potential for global impact.”

(Photo credit: Climate Breakthrough)