The BBC Network in London has revealed the names of the inspiring and influential women on the BBC 100 Women list for 2023. 

For the first time, to recognize the disproportionate impact of climate change on women and girls, this year’s BBC 100 Women list specifically highlights a group of women leading the battle against the climate crisis.  

Louise Mabulo from the Philippines has been recognized for her work, including founding The Cacao Project during the aftermath of typhoon Nock-Ten in 2016. 

Her organization aims to revolutionize local food systems through sustainable agroforestry. Mabulo empowers farmers, dismantles destructive food systems, and champions a rural-led green economy, putting control back in those who cultivate the land. She advises international climate policy, where she amplifies rural stories and knowledge. She was recognized by the United Nations Environment Program as a Young Champion of the Earth. 

Louise said of her work “I find hope in knowing that movements around the world are being built by people just like me, stewarding a future with green landscapes, that connect communities, where our food is sustainable and accessible, where our economies are circular, and are driven by just, equitable principles.”

By naming Climate Pioneers from all corners of the globe, the BBC 100 Women list 2023 celebrates those inspiring and leading their communities to tackle and adapt to the devastating impact of climate change in their regions.  

The announcement of this year’s list kicks off the BBC’s 100 Women 2023 season – focusing on women’s rights and diverse life experiences around the globe, with special content including interviews, documentaries, features, digital and social journalism, across the BBC’s UK and global TV and radio services, and BBC.com. 

Other women named in the list this year include:

Bayang, (China) - Diarist and sustainability advocate

Matcha Phorn-in (Thailand) - Campaigner for Indigenous and LGBTQ+ rights

Qiyun Woo, (Singapore) - Storyteller

Sumini, (Indonesia) - Forest manager

Khine Hnin Wai, (Myanmar) – Actress

Trần Gấm, (Vietnam) - Biogas business owner

Bella Galhos, (East Timor) - Political activist

Xu Zaozao, (China) - Egg freezing campaigner

Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi, (Indonesia) - Speed climber

The season will look at the practice of child marriage, as 12 million underaged girls are forced into marriage every year. It will explore the spike in climate anxiety concerns with a data-led project, and hear from women whose reproductive choices have been impacted by environmental concerns. It’ll go on the road with Mexican truck drivers in a heavily male-dominated and dangerous business, and also travel up the mountains with a group of shepherdesses who brought wealth and transformed their community in less than a generation.

Notable names from the BBC 100 Women 2023 list include former First Lady of the United States, attorney and campaigner Michelle Obama, footballer Aitana Bonmatí, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, actresses America Ferrera and Dia Mirza, beauty mogul Huda Kattan, AI expert Timnit Gebru, campaigner Ulanda Mtamba, writer Oksana Zabuzhko and feminist leader Gloria Steinem. 

Yet the new names make the BBC 100 women list so unique. Among them are the 28 Climate Pioneers, announced to coincide with the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP28, starting later this month in Dubai.

They include Indian photographer Arati Kumar-Rao, Paraguayan sprinter Camila Pirelli, South African freediving instructor Zandile Ndhlovu, Pakistani midwife Neha Mankani, Nigerian mental health advocate Jennifer Uchendu and Thai campaigner for indigenous and LGBTQ+ rights Matcha Phorn-in.  

Other women celebrated for their work tackling the climate crisis in different fields include Brazil's state minister Sonia Guajajara, firefighter Sofia Kosacheva, and climate advisers Iryna Stavchuk and Christiana Figueres.

The full BBC 100 Women List 2023 can be found here: www.bbc.com/100women 

Liliane Landor, Senior Controller of BBC News International Services: “It is fantastic to see the remarkable women named on this year’s BBC 100 Women list. This diverse list of influential and ground-breaking grassroots women who have been making a difference in their field – from community level to international politics – inspires us all.

“In a year where extreme heat, wildfires, floods, and other natural disasters have been dominating headlines, and where wars have weighed heavily, it is more important than ever that the BBC World Service continues to shine a spotlight on women globally and their fight back against climate change.”

Alongside the list, BBC 100 Women will present a season of specially commissioned content and documentaries featuring the untold stories of some of this year’s BBC 100 Women, including: 

In Conversation 

BBC News will broadcast exclusive conversations with some of the most globally recognized women on this year’s list:

BBC 100 Women In Conversation: Amal Clooney, Michelle Obama and Melinda French Gates  

Each year, 12 million underaged girls are forced into marriage – a crisis that at the current rate will take over 300 years to fix, says the UN. Now, three of the world’s most high-profile humanitarians have vowed to tackle the issue together. In a BBC 100 Women exclusive, Michelle Obama, Amal Clooney and Melinda French Gates talk about their work to combat child marriage and amplify the efforts of grassroots organizations. 

Airs on Saturday, Nov. 25, at 09:30 am and 04:30 pm, Sunday, Nov. 26, at 03:30 pm and 10:30 pm, and Monday, Nov. 27, at 05:30 am on BBC News and live streaming globally on BBC.com.

BBC 100 Women at COP28 

BBC 100 Women will be present at the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference COP28, from 30 November to highlight the strand's commitment to telling the climate story. We will be holding a TV broadcast from Expo City, Dubai, and Nairobi, bringing some of our grassroots pioneers together to provide a space to share their thoughts and deeply personal experiences of living life right on the forefront of the climate crisis amidst a growing sense of climate anxiety.

This program will air on BBC News on 3 December and be available on The Climate Question podcast from Dec. 10.

BBC World Service Radio

The Conversation - BBC 100 Women Special: Climate pioneers 

Kim Chakanetsa meets two women on this year's BBC 100 Women list: Basima Abdulrahman, founder and CEO of KESK, the first company in Iraq to offer green building services and products, and Jennifer Uchendu, founder of SustyVibes in Nigeria, a youth-led sustainability organization, and The Eco Anxiety Project, an initiative promoting awareness and research into climate change and its impact on young Africans’ mental health. 

They’ll discuss their commitment to the environment, the challenges of getting their messages across, climate change's impact on their mental health, and their hopes for the future.

Airs on BBC World Service Radio on Monday, Nov. 27, at 7:30pm