A video recording of Climate Integrate’s Executive Director Kimiko Hirata addressing the TED Countdown Summit 2025 has been released on the TED.com website and the TED YouTube channel.
The TED Countdown Summit 2025 in Nairobi, Kenya in June 2025 featured about 40 invited speakers from around the world, including scientists, policymakers, business leaders, and Nobel laureates. Kimiko took to the TED stage on the third day to speak about the new approach Climate Integrate has taken, building on her years of experience tackling climate change.
You can watch the talk from the following link.
TED.com
TED YouTube channel
More about the Summit in photos:
TED Blog
[Summary of Kimiko’s speech]
I have been working to address climate change for 30 years. There have been ups and downs, but some of the achievements I have made together with my partners came through efforts targeting coal-fired power plants after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011, as well as through shareholder proposals to banks in 2020. From these experiences, I have learned that what seemed impossible was not necessarily impossible.
But there are still major obstacles to addressing climate change. Japan is still heavily reliant on fossil fuels, and the real challenges are yet to come. To transition the entire economy away from fossil fuels, it is not enough to just say “no.” We need to engage in dialogue with people who have differing perspectives, including governments and companies, and to commit to a strong “yes.”
My vision is to help Japan promote renewable energy, achieve decarbonization, and extend that impact across Asia. Climate Integrate’s approach is to show the facts, convey the facts, and promote local initiatives. I have a great team and a network of like-minded people to support me and move forward. You too can find a path that’s right for you. Together, we can change the world from “no to yes.”
* Click here for the full text of her speech.
