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Incredible Women Of 2024: Climate Activist Sophia Li

Next in our Incredible Women of 2024 series – in which we celebrate the trailblazers whose talent, energy and impact are defining the year – is climate activist and journalist SOPHIA LI. She speaks to FRANCINE HEATH about her reasons for hope in the sustainability movement, transforming the narrative, and how urgency and optimism can go hand in hand

Incredible Women
Sophia Li

Every so often, we come across someone who dares to dream of change and drive towards a brighter future, and we leave the encounter feeling inspired and galvanized. This feeling could easily be called ‘the Sophia Li effect’. Infectious in her positivity, Li is a climate optimist who is committed to planetary storytelling in a way that’s accessible, digestible and human. Her work across different mediums cuts through the noise – whether she’s reporting for the magazine and digital platform Atmos, hosting a podcast for Meta, or sparking conversations around an AI tree at Ganni’s SS24 show.

For Li, climate optimism starts with knowing that we have a choice in the movement. Then, it’s about feeling hopeful – without ignoring the facts or the necessity to act. “Optimism goes hand in hand with urgency, with being rooted in reality, and with outrage,” explains the award-winning Chinese-American journalist, who was named a top climate communicator by Harvard in 2022. “Just because I’m optimistic doesn’t mean that I’m out of touch with science, or [that I am] not bold with action. It just means that I choose to believe that things are possible,” she affirms.

In a 24-hour news cycle that is typically heavy on environmental doomsaying (one recent headline describes a report on a climate-change paper as ‘so depressing that it’s sending people to therapy’, for example), the term ‘climate optimism’ alone feels refreshing – and it’s one that Li makes a thoughtful comparison to. “The Chinese word for crisis is two characters: 危機. It’s wéijī. Wéijī means crisis or danger – but the second character actually means opportunity,” she shares. “So, in ancient Chinese philosophy, opportunities arise from crisis.” And she believes that one of the greatest opportunities we have right now is time.

Li’s optimism and awareness of the time we still have to act is mirrored by one of the most exciting projects she has lined up in 2024: her work as the global correspondent for the Earthshot Prize. Inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s Moonshot challenge in 1962, Earthshot has developed universal goals for 2030, in collaboration with leading environmental experts – these goals cover a wide breadth of elements, from reviving oceans to protecting and restoring nature. Led by Earthshot founder and president William, Prince of Wales, this year’s prize will take place in Cape Town, South Africa, following a global search for game-changing innovations. The five best solutions will be awarded £1 million each to scale their work. “Its aim is to be the Nobel Peace Prize for climate solutions, though it goes far beyond just an award show,” says Li. “It has become its own ecosystem of intersectional climate solutions, from carbon storage to grassroots movements in every corner of the world,” she adds. “I’m honored to work with HRH Prince William and the talented Earthshot finalists. Their solutions seamlessly remind us of the optimism and urgency needed during the next six years.”

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We can bring that [sustainability] narrative into a space like fashion month that’s glitz and glam, because sustainability can be glitzy and glam and sexy, too
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The conversation turns to the fashion industry. Li believes that accountability has a huge part to play when it comes to sustainability. “Right now, I’m focusing heavily on the Fashion Act, which requires any fashion brands doing business in New York and making a global annual revenue over a hundred million dollars to be legally required to meet science-based targets,” she explains of the bill, which is endorsed by Jane Fonda and Amber Valletta. “Regulation and accountability from a legislation standpoint is something I’m really excited about in the US,” she adds. Joining fellow climate activists Aditi Mayer and Sophia Kianni as an ambassador for the Act, Li is helping to bring big names on board (Stella McCartney and Another Tomorrow are already supporters) and to launch impactful social campaigns.

She loves collaborating with others who are leading sustainability conversations in the industry – such as Gabriela Hearst and Chloé – and she runs an Instagram series called Decoding Sustainable Fashion with British Vogue’s senior sustainability and features editor, Emily Chan. Delving into a variety of topics, the series looks at everything from the pros and cons of wool to the different ways that sustainability can be incorporated within fashion month. “We can bring that narrative into a space like fashion month that’s glitz and glam, because sustainability can be glitzy and glam and sexy, too,” says Li.

Li’s biggest focus for 2024 is to continue her work on long-form storytelling and fusing climate culture with a narrative that fills the void of what traditional mass media isn’t always communicating. As our interview wraps, she shares that her bags are packed for a work trip with Vogue to Antarctica, exploring how a travel company balances the quest for wonder with environmental responsibility. TV shows are also in the pipeline – she’s looking forward to revealing more about these once they’re fully green-lit and ready. Watch this space.