RICHMOND HILL, CANADA, 21 September 2026 — Professor Kaveh Madani, Director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), has been named to The Independent’s 2026 Climate 100, an annual list recognizing leading environmentalists, policymakers, scientists, campaigners, philanthropists and innovators from around the world.
Released to coincide with Climate Week NYC, the third annual Climate 100 recognizes individuals and organizations that The Independent says are making a “positive and significant difference” in addressing the climate crisis.
Madani is one of three current UN-system leaders featured on the list, alongside United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and UN Under-Secretary-General and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Inger Andersen. Other leaders of major international institutions recognized include International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Fatih Birol and Green Climate Fund (GCF) Executive Director Mafalda Duarte.
The list brings together prominent figures from across government, science, civil society, business, philanthropy, culture and public life. They include European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, former US Vice President Al Gore, Sir David Attenborough, Pope Leo XIV, King Charles III, Prince William, Greta Thunberg and Bill McKibben.
Madani is featured in the “NGOs, Non-Profits & Philanthropists” category, alongside figures including Bill Gates, David Miliband, MacKenzie Scott, Boyan Slat, Mafalda Duarte and Inger Andersen. The Independent states that the Climate 100 has no order of importance or ranking.
Bringing water to the wider climate and environmental agenda
In its profile of Madani, The Independent highlights his leadership of UNU-INWEH — the UN’s Think Tank on Water — and his work advising governments on water policy and addressing water scarcity worldwide.
The profile gives particular attention to Madani’s work on “water bankruptcy” — a concept describing conditions in which water systems have been pushed beyond their capacity to recover to their historical normal. It also highlights his argument that severe water problems cannot simply be attributed to climate change, and that unsustainable water management and consumption are fundamental drivers of water-system decline.
The recognition comes in the same year that Madani received the 2026 Stockholm Water Prize, the world’s most prestigious honours for contributions to water, also known as the “Nobel Prize of Water”. Together, the recognitions reflect the growing prominence of water security and governance within wider international discussions about climate change, sustainable development and environmental security.
The Independent’s Climate 100 spans a wide range of sectors and approaches to environmental action. Madani’s inclusion brings particular attention to the role of water governance and the need to address the human and institutional drivers of growing water insecurity.
About Professor Kaveh Madani
Professor Kaveh Madani is Director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), known as the UN’s Think Tank on Water. His work focuses on complex human-natural systems and the connections between water, environment, development, security and society.
Before joining UNU, Madani worked across academia, government and international environmental diplomacy, including as Deputy Head of Iran’s Department of Environment and Vice President of the UN Environment Assembly Bureau. He has held academic and research positions at institutions including Imperial College London and Yale University.
In 2026, he received the Stockholm Water Prize in recognition of his contributions to global water science, policy and diplomacy.
About UNU-INWEH
The United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) is one of 13 institutes that form the United Nations University (UNU), the academic arm of the United Nations. Based in Richmond Hill, Canada, UNU-INWEH addresses pressing global water, environmental and health challenges through research, policy development, capacity building and knowledge sharing.
Read The Independent’s 2026 Climate 100.
Interview requests should be submitted to media.inweh@unu.edu
