Ximena Loría works to expose the human cost of environmental problems.
Why you should listen
Costa Rican biologist and activist Ximena Loría founded Misión 2 Grados, an NGO focused on four main topics: sensitizing people to climate change, supporting the B corp movement, advancing public policy and bolstering the development of young leaders.
Early in her career, Loría researched biological pest control in agriculture. Working with farmers in rural communities showed her how lack of education and access to resources made people responsible for and victims of environmental degradation in their communities. In 2009, she earned a master's degree in natural resources and peace from the UN's University for Peace, where she was further inspired in her work to raise awareness of climate change. After graduation, she worked as a biology and ecology teacher for high school and university students, focusing on empowering youth as change makers.
After working with the Climate Reality Project, Loría founded Misión 2 Grados and is now focused on the creation of an active youth climate network and a creating climate change reform agenda in the Costa Rican congress. She's coleading a national movement of citizens, organizations and private sector companies to prohibit the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons in Costa Rica.
