Ramón Méndez Galain

Why you should listen

As Uruguay’s Secretary of Energy, physicist Ramón Méndez Galain led an unprecedented energy transformation, culminating in the country’s current, jaw-dropping mix of 98 percent renewables, nearly 40 percent of which comes from wind alone. He then became Uruguay’s Secretary of Climate Change and their chief negotiator for the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015.
Recently, Galain has worked to promote a sustainable transition throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, helping governments, the private sector, academia and citizens lead the region towards a net-zero economy. He remains an active university professor, training young engineers and political scientists to become leaders in clean energy.