Biography
As the Executive Director of Climate Integrate, an independent think tank she formed in 2022, Kimiko Hirata is at the forefront of efforts to accelerate decarbonization in Japan. Her focus on conveying data and dynamic approach to fostering new ways of collaboration among diverse stakeholders across public, business, and civil society sectors has helped her achieve things few thought possible in a uniquely difficult environment for civil society.
Before establishing Climate Integrate, Kimiko spent over two decades with Kiko Network, a Japanese non-profit climate organization dedicated to environmental advocacy and activism. She gained prominence following the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, when she led a groundbreaking campaign against the proliferation of coal power plants in Japan. Through brave efforts, including shareholder activism and public mobilization, the campaign resulted in the cancellation of many coal projects and earned her the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2021. The BBC also recognized her in their 2022 list of 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world.
Kimiko holds a Ph.D. in social sciences from Waseda University in Tokyo. She is a visiting associate professor at Chiba University of Commerce Graduate School and serves as an environmental policy advisor for Ichikawa City. Her work has been acknowledged through numerous accolades, including her inclusion in Business Insider’s Climate Action 30 in 2023 and Reuters’ Trailblazing Women in Climate in 2024.
Her commitment to environmental advocacy was ignited during her undergraduate years, particularly inspired by the Earth Summit in 1992. “I was shocked to discover that human activities had damaged the environment globally and that my daily life had been part of the system,” she recalled. This moment of realization set her on a path of dedication to protecting the planet.
Kimiko explains that she is deeply guided by the Japanese saying 為せば成る (naseba naru), loosely meaning “where there is a will, there is a way.” This philosophy underpins her belief in the power of collective action to address a complex global issue like climate change.
“We, human beings, are the ones who have caused the problems. We must also be the ones to solve them.”
Breakthrough program
Kimiko Hirata was selected for the Climate Breakthrough Award program in 2024.
While Kimiko’s burgeoning work with Climate Integrate has focused on advancing policy development and sustainable finance, she’s setting her sights on an equally critical challenge—one that could be a catalyst for progress in other areas: transforming the narrative about the feasibility and necessity of energy transition.
She aims to dismantle the pervasive belief within Japanese society that decarbonization is too costly, difficult, and burdensome. Although much of this belief is not fact-based, the mindset has long dampened public urgency for climate action and significantly slowed progress. Her Climate Breakthrough initiative will leverage innovative communication strategies to present crucial but often underrepresented facts about the issue, with the goal of building a broad base of support for achieving power sector decarbonization by 2035.
“If people’s understanding based on evidence prevails, we can shift the narrative and stimulate new, more powerful initiatives that lead to meaningful real policy changes,” she explained.
Japan is the world’s fifth-largest carbon dioxide emitter, with the power sector being the primary source of its emissions. Success in decarbonizing Japan could have far-reaching effects beyond its borders, including catalyzing shifts in energy finance and policy across the Southeast Asia region.
