Meet the changemakers proving climate solutions are already here
The Shift, a new platform from the IKEA Foundation, spotlights the action already being taken across the world to address the challenges of climate change and improve lives
by Ginette Davies · The MirrorAcross the globe, dedicated individuals and communities are proving that effective climate solutions are already within reach.
The Shift, a new platform supported by the IKEA Foundation, is highlighting the vital work being delivered by communities, innovators, businesses, and organisations, sharing extraordinary stories of real-world action that fights climate change, improves lives and strengthens resilience.
By giving voice to, and creating space for these breakthroughs, The Shift demonstrates that meaningful change is not only possible - it is already happening around the world. These stories provide tangible evidence that progress is underway and that momentum is building across communities and geographies.
The IKEA Foundation is an independent organisation that is fighting global warming, with and for the many people.
Champions of change
Youth Climate Justice Fund
The Youth Climate Justice Fund aims to shift the narrative that frames young people as victims, to one that empowers young leaders with funding to design solutions for their own communities.
Joshua Amponsem, from the fund, said: “We need to believe that young people are the strategy, not a periphery to the strategies.”
In places like Mongolia, young people are organising around clean air, health and local futures. Youth Climate Justice Fund helps turn their ideas into visible, practical change that can be replicated worldwide.
Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative
For years, a global phase-out of fossil fuels appeared too big to place on the diplomatic agenda.
That picture has shifted, with more than 50 countries now engaging with the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative and 18 nations that have already joined it, there is a pathway for a fair transition and collaborating on policies, partnerships and planning to manage change.
Tzeporah Berman, from the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative, said: “We can’t fix a problem if we keep fuelling it. Whether climate policy should focus on cutting fossil fuel demand or constraining supply is a live debate. It's not an either-or question. We need both.”
NewClimate Institute
The NewClimate Institute enables ambitious climate action through research, policy design and knowledge sharing. Their research provides information about where the world is heading in terms of climate action, demonstrating that cleaner energy systems are becoming cheaper, faster and more scalable than many people realise.
Niklas Höhne, from NewClimate Institute, said: “We are constantly underestimating exponential change.”
InfluenceMap
Public debate can obscure who is shaping narratives and to what end. But InfluenceMap provides open-source tools that make advocating positions and media narratives visible, helping people understand the full picture and assess claims against evidence.
Dylan Tanner, from InfluenceMap, said: “When influence is visible, debate becomes easier to understand.”
Global Methane Hub
Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is a focus for the Global Methane Hub, which supports practical cuts across energy, agriculture and waste.
Global Methane Hub helps partners act across sectors where change benefits both economies and communities. They believe there are practical solutions that can be deployed at scale today, such as helping dairy and rice farmers cut methane while raising their incomes, or capturing the gas that escapes from landfill sites to generate clean energy for nearby homes.
D’Seante Parks, from Global Methane Hub, said: “Methane mitigation is good for the economy, good for communities and good for the planet”.
“Preserving the momentum behind action on methane means working hard to show visible national progress and to elevate it to conversations where opportunities for collaboration and cooperation can happen."
Climate Analytics
Catherine Tunnicliffe, from Climate Analytics, said: "Progress needs pathways not just promises”.
It works to translate policy promises into evidence-led pathways by bringing science into decision-making, helping turn ambition into practical action and showing where stronger choices can still change the outcome.
UMI Fund
Urban improvements are central to how climate solutions show up in daily life.
The UMI Fund backs community-led projects that create safer streets, cleaner air and neighbourhoods designed around people, rather than heavy traffic.
These interventions prioritise health and safety while contributing to lower emissions and more liveable cities. Kudzayi Ngurame, from UMI Fund, said: “People have to see themselves in the solutions.”
The Shift’s approach is to surface credible, grounded examples that demonstrate feasibility and momentum.
By consolidating lessons - from national diplomacy on fossil fuels to city-level street design - The Shift presents a cross-section of activity that is already delivering results.