Kirsty Albion

Climate change campaigner

2011 TAS Young Australian of the Year

Kirsty Albion is passionate about environmental protection and is inspiring young people to have a say on climate change. She believes climate change presents humanity with an opportunity to address injustices and unsustainable practices in our society. The world’s youth and poorest communities stand to lose the most from climate change, yet are the least represented in the United Nations climate negotiations. Kirsty aims to change this by giving Pacific Islanders a voice through establishing strong networks and training. She travelled to Fiji to learn how climate change was affecting people in the Pacific and inspired the young people there to set up an equivalent of the Australian Youth Climate Coalition (AYCC). Kirsty successfully fundraised to take 11 Pacific Islander’s as delegates to the Copenhagen conference in 2009. She has since become AYCC’s National Volunteer Coordinator, supporting hundreds of volunteers across the country and running conferences in Adelaide, Geelong and Canberra. She is a regular speaker in schools and coordinated Victorian and Tasmanian youth to have their say about climate change through an online forum. Kirsty is passionate about making people realise how important it is to protect our environment for future generations.