Gabriel Klaasen
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| Gabriel Klaasen | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| 🏳️ Citizenship | South Africa |
| 💼 Occupation | * climate and social-justice activist |
| Known for | * Activism |
Gabriel Klaasen is a South African climate and social-justice activist. He is a youth organiser associated with the African Climate Alliance (ACA), and his activism focuses on climate justice, environmental justice, youth mobilisation and the social inequalities associated with the climate crisis.[1][2]
Early life and education
Klaasen grew up on the Cape Flats in Cape Town, South Africa. He became interested in environmental issues during his youth and volunteered in an environmental leadership club while attending high school.[3]
Klaasen has identified the Cape Town water crisis and the threat of "Day Zero" as an important influence on his decision to become involved in climate activism. He described experiencing the prospect of the city running out of clean drinking water as the point at which the effects of the climate crisis became tangible to him.[3]
Activism
After completing high school, Klaasen became a volunteer and youth mentor with Project 90 by 2030, a South African social and environmental justice organisation. He subsequently developed experience in climate activism and youth organising.[3]
Klaasen became involved with the African Climate Alliance, a youth-led climate justice organisation founded in Cape Town. He officially became the organisation's youth coordinator in July 2020.[1]
As youth coordinator, Klaasen helped organise climate actions during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, he led an action across three communities in the greater Cape Town area that combined climate education with protest while remaining connected to the global climate-strike movement.[1]
Klaasen's activism has emphasised an intersectional approach to climate justice, linking climate change with social and economic inequality. Greenpeace Africa described him as a prominent voice in the South African youth climate movement and highlighted his advocacy concerning the disproportionate effects of climate change and social injustice on marginalised communities.[2]
In September 2021, Klaasen participated in a youth-led climate protest at the South African Parliament calling for climate action and environmental justice. He also participated in a global press conference alongside climate activists including Vanessa Nakate and Greta Thunberg.[4]
African Climate Alliance
Klaasen became one of the emerging youth leaders of the African Climate Alliance during the organisation's formation. According to the organisation's account of its history, he became youth coordinator in July 2020 and later became one of its directors.[1]
The African Climate Alliance advocates an Afrocentric approach to climate justice and seeks to build youth leadership and capacity for climate action in Africa.[5]
Klaasen has subsequently worked in programme management and youth capacity building for the organisation. In 2023, he was identified as a Programme Manager at the African Climate Alliance and participated in Cape Town Climate Week, which addressed climate change and its intersections with socio-political injustice.[6]
Climate justice advocacy
Klaasen has advocated for climate policies that address both environmental degradation and inequality. His work has included youth mobilisation, climate education, communications and advocacy for communities disproportionately affected by environmental and social crises.[2][7]
He has also been associated with the African Climate Alliance's campaign against new coal-fired power generation in South Africa. The organisation, together with the Vukani Environmental Justice Movement in Action and groundWork, brought the #CancelCoal legal challenge against the South African government's plans for additional coal-fired electricity capacity.[8]
The case was described as the first climate-change court case in South Africa to be led by young people. In December 2024, the High Court of South Africa ruled in favour of the applicants in the challenge concerning the proposed procurement of 1,500 MW of new coal-fired power capacity.[9]
Recognition
In 2021, Klaasen was recognised as a finalist in the Mail & Guardian's 200 Young South Africans selection. He was recognised for his work in the youth climate movement and environmental advocacy.[2]
Greenpeace Africa subsequently included Klaasen among African youth climate activists highlighted for their work on climate justice and environmental advocacy.[2]
See also
- Climate justice
- Climate activism
- African Climate Alliance
- Climate change in South Africa
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "African Climate Alliance Founding Story". African Climate Alliance. Archived from the original on 26 November 2024. Retrieved 22 August 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "10 African Climate Youth Activists Changing the Face of the Planet". Greenpeace Africa. 2021. Archived from the original on 23 August 2025. Retrieved 22 August 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Phillips, Tunicia (8 August 2021). "Cape Town's Day Zero scare raised a new generation of young climate activists". Mail & Guardian. Archived from the original on 11 November 2025. Retrieved 22 August 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Youth Lead Climate Protest at Parliament Calling for Climate Action and Environmental Justice". African Climate Alliance. 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
- ↑ "Our Organisation". African Climate Alliance. Archived from the original on 12 December 2024. Retrieved 22 August 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Cape Town Climate Week 2023: A Week of Creating Pathways for System Change". African Climate Alliance. 2 October 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
- ↑ "Activist Guide". African Climate Alliance. Archived from the original on 6 October 2025. Retrieved 22 August 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "African Climate Alliance et. al. v. Minister of Mineral Resources & Energy et al. (#CancelCoal case)". InforMEA. Archived from the original on 2 February 2025. Retrieved 22 August 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "African Climate Alliance et. al., v. Minister of Mineral Resources et al #CancelCoal". University College Cork. Archived from the original on 13 July 2025. Retrieved 22 August 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help)
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