Meet the Generation17 Young Leaders: The Story of Renata Koch Alvarenga

Renata Koch Alvarenga is a member of Generation 17, a partnership between Samsung and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) that empowers young people driving progress on the 17 Global Goals.

Since 2020, the initiative has supported Young Leaders worldwide with Samsung Galaxy technology, mentorship and networking opportunities to amplify their stories and advance solutions across all 17 Global Goals.

When devastating floods submerged her home state in Brazil, Renata Koch Alvarenga questioned whether her work was making a difference. Instead of retreating, she doubled down, launching an ambitious program to prepare women and youth for the climate crisis ahead.

The 17 Global Goals refer to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all by 2030. They cover interrelated areas such as quality education, gender equality, clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, climate action, life on land and below water, among others.

The images still haunt her. In May 2024, the state of Rio Grande do Sul faced the worst flooding in its history, submerging Renata Koch Alvarenga's hometown of Porto Alegre under record-breaking floodwaters. Nearly 600,000 people were displaced, streets disappeared, and the airport remained closed for months.

▲ The 2024 floods in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, affected nearly 2.4 million people and caused widespread damage across 478 municipalities, including Porto Alegre, shown here.

“My heart was definitely breaking,” she recalls. “I saw so many places that I grew up going to, such as parks and museums, destroyed.”

What happened in Brazil reflects a growing global threat. Climate change is heating oceans and shifting rainfall patterns, intensifying extreme weather events like floods. By 2100, coastal flood risk is expected to increase fivefold, threatening more than 70 million people worldwide, according to UNDP. 

After years of climate advocacy and educational outreach, the devastation – some of it in the very communities Renata had worked to protect – left her questioning if her efforts were enough. “I like to say that I'm a climate optimist and always like to see the glass half full, but that was a key moment in which it was very hard to keep being an optimist,” she says. “It was very hard to keep going.”

For Renata, the choice became clear: give in to doubt, or double down on her mission.

Discovering Climate Justice

Renata's path to climate activism began in college when she received the opportunity to attend COP21 – the 21^st United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties – held in Paris in 2015, where world leaders negotiated the landmark Paris Agreement. “I saw multiple diplomats say, ‘I don't really understand why we're talking about gender. This has nothing to do with climate change,’” she says.

This dismissive response sparked something within her. Renata's studies had shown that the climate crisis impacts people differently based on gender and economic status – with women often facing the harshest consequences while being excluded from decision-making. This imbalance lies at the heart of climate justice. According to UN Women, by 2050, climate change may push up to 158 million more women and girls into extreme poverty, compared to 16 million more men and boys.

Renata left COP21 determined to change things.

▲ Inspired by what she witnessed in Paris, Renata worked to create pathways for marginalized voices in climate advocacy.

Leveraging Technology for Impact

Following years of advocacy and study, Renata founded EmpoderaClima, a climate and gender advocacy and education organization with a simple principle: knowledge is empowerment, and empowerment is equality. It originally launched as a website in 2019 using technology to democratize climate information.

“Technology is essential for EmpoderaClima because it allows us to reach people we otherwise couldn’t,” says Renata. “The scale and multiplying effect of social media and our digital database is incredibly powerful,” she adds.

By translating resources on climate and gender equity into French, Spanish and Portuguese, EmpoderaClima broke down language barriers that excluded communities from international climate discussions. And social media enabled the organization to scale rapidly, reaching more than 60,000 people across the world.

▲ The EmpoderaClima website features climate change resources in multiple languages, making them accessible to communities across Latin America and beyond.

Expanding Beyond Digital

As EmpoderaClima grew, so did its initiatives. The organization now runs student workshops, offers climate and leadership mentorship programs for women, and leads advocacy efforts that bring young women to global stages.

Through school visits, Renata’s team takes climate education to youth in vulnerable communities, highlighting the United Nations’ Global Goals with a focus on quality education (Goal 4), gender equality (Goal 5) and climate action (Goal 13).

▲ Students in flood-impacted São Leopoldo, Brazil, learn how their climate experiences connect to global policy.

Brazil’s floods last year exposed gaps in emergency response, including services that address the needs of women and children. In response, Renata launched the Women for Climate Resilience program, where local leaders gain skills in disaster preparedness, mental health and climate adaptation, then carry the knowledge back to their communities. So far, the initiative has reached women from three regions of Brazil.

“Today I feel empowered, strengthened, renewed,” said Janaína dos Santos, a social worker in Porto Alegre, at a recent Women for Climate Resilience workshop.

▲ Women leaders participate in EmpoderaClima's climate resilience workshop, learning skills and strategies to better prepare for future climate disasters.

Building an Inclusive Climate Future

As climate disasters become more frequent and intense, Renata says her work has never felt more important. “My dream for the future,” she says, “is expanding our reach globally and building an even bigger network of women who are empowered and ready to take action for climate justice.” Technology, she believes, has been vital to EmpoderaClima’s evolution and will be just as critical in scaling impact in the years ahead.

For Renata, the flood marks in her hometown represent not only loss, but also resilience and an opportunity to rebuild with justice at the center. Her vision is clear: a world where women and youth don't just endure climate challenges but shape climate solutions.