Xiye Bastida

Xiye Bastida is of Otomi-Toltec indigenous descent, with roots in San Pedro Tultepec in the State of Mexico. Her indigenous identity is central to her activism — she consistently frames climate justice through a decolonial lens, connecting environmental destruction to centuries of extractivist and colonial systems.

Xiye Bastida grew up in San Pedro Tultepec, a community near Mexico City that experienced severe flooding and droughts linked to climate disruption, eventually pushing her family to relocate to New York City. That childhood experience of climate displacement made the climate crisis personal rather than abstract, and it became the foundation of her advocacy.

Yes — Xiye Bastida became one of the most prominent Fridays for Future organizers in New York City, helping coordinate student strikes and marches across the United States. She has represented the youth climate movement at international UN climate negotiations and spoken alongside other global youth leaders.

Re-Earth Initiative is a youth-led climate justice organization that Xiye Bastida co-founded and currently leads as Executive Director. The organization centers frontline and indigenous communities in climate solutions and pushes for systemic policy change rather than individual-behavior fixes.

Xiye Bastida is a vocal advocate for a global Fossil Fuel Treaty — an international agreement that would commit governments to phasing out the production of oil, gas, and coal at the source. She argues that existing climate frameworks focus too narrowly on emissions targets without directly limiting extraction, which she sees as the root of the crisis.

The #SalvemosMahahual campaign calls for the protection of Mahahual, a coastal community and coral reef area in Quintana Roo, Mexico, from development and environmental degradation. Xiye Bastida has used her platform to amplify local voices defending this marine ecosystem, tying it to her broader ocean and biodiversity advocacy.

Descoloniza is an AJ+ series that examines the ongoing legacies of colonialism and connects historical land dispossession to present-day crises, including the climate emergency. Xiye Bastida has been featured in an episode that links that colonial history directly to current environmental injustices affecting indigenous and frontline communities.

How to Live on Earth is a documentary project that Xiye Bastida promoted on her platforms, sharing the first-look trailer with her followers and describing it as a major global resource on living sustainably with the planet. It aligns with her broader mission of making climate solutions accessible and grounded in both science and indigenous knowledge.

TIME magazine recognized Xiye Bastida on its TIME100Next list, which spotlights emerging leaders shaping the future across industries and causes. The recognition reflects her profile as one of the most influential youth climate justice voices operating at the intersection of indigenous rights, decolonial politics, and international climate policy.

Xiye Bastida attended the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 2024. She balanced her undergraduate studies with leading the Re-Earth Initiative, representing youth climate movements at UN conferences, and building her advocacy platform — making her one of the few student activists operating at a global policy level simultaneously.