Climate Lawyer and the Co-Founder of World’s Youth for Climate Justice (WYCJ)

Jule Schnakenberg

International Lawyer and Climate Advocate 

“We absolutely must keep pushing, otherwise this world will never move.”

Meet Jule

• Jule is a young climate lawyer and the co-founder of World’s Youth for Climate Justice (WYCJ), a grassroots organisation working to transform international law into a tool for climate justice, which played a key role in pushing for the International Court of Justice’s Advisory Opinion on Member States’ Obligations in respect of Climate Change.
• At just 27 years old, Jule has over a decade of experience as an international lawyer, has been a COP delegate, and has studied in the US, UK, Netherlands and China.
• Having started climate advocacy at the age of 11, Jule believes that when young people feel like they can contribute to global solutions, they become empowered. “I never felt like I didn’t have a voice,” she says of her early volunteer experiences.

Sector

International Law and Climate Advocacy

• “When I was very little, my parents received the Greenpeace Magazine, and I thought ‘That’s what I want to be! I want to be on these boats protecting whales!” Jule recounts always having had a passion for climate justice, but says it all fell into place when she read about a strategic litigation case of a Peruvian farmer suing a German coal company. “And so, I thought, that’s what I’m meant to do. I want to work on climate litigation and still tackle the problem, maybe not on a boat, but in a courtroom.”
• Nonetheless, it was not an easy path to go down. “They kept saying ‘just wait until you have a master’s degree’, which I think is the worst thing to say to a motivated young person.” Despite all the discouragement, she and WYCJ’s co-founder soon met a group of Pacific Islander students with a shared passion for climate action. In the span of six years, they had created a global network of changemakers with fronts across every continent, successfully lobbied the world’s governments, and gotten the world’s highest court to declare that all nations must fight climate change.

“People were saying we were trying to sue the world,” Jule remembers. “But we absolutely must keep pushing, otherwise this world will never move.” 

What’s in the sector’s future?

• When asked about the shrinking civic space, budget cuts, and hostile government administrations, Jule admits “we’re backsliding to having the most basic conversations about the importance of climate justice. The funding cuts absolutely hurt the movement, they might mean we can no longer send young people to COP, for example.”
• At the same time, Jule sees an opportunity for mission-driven organisations to reprioritise what is absolutely necessary to meet their goals, as well as to put more weight in new partnerships that can make mission-driven work a sustainable business.
• Regardless, when asked about the new generation of changemakers, Jule is “absolutely hopeful.” She believes today’s youth are “even better” than many of our current leaders. “People in the movement are extremely motivated, and I’m very hopeful because of that.”

Skills

Want to find out how Jule landed the job she’s currently in?  

• Jule believes harnessing the power of youth is a key skill in climate advocacy. Young people’s perceived lack of self-interest gives them moral authority in the eyes of older generations – “we have to lean into that narrative.” At the same time, she warns against solely relying on one’s age, instead she believes youth must position themselves as experts in their own right, based on their lived experiences, professional and academic qualifications, or their skillsets.
• She credits much of her success to her ability to leverage international connections. “It is important to have one global message, but being able to adapt it regionally, to make sense to all,” she explains, highlighting the value of local expertise paired with diverse global perspectives.
• Jule also believes being able to use one’s full set of skills, no matter how seemingly unrelated, is an asset. For example, she explains that, paradoxically, her time as a summer camp counsellor prepared her to lobby senior policymakers. “When you deal with children it doesn’t matter how you feel, you sort of need to put on a happy mask for them. Now, when I go into a lobby meeting and I’m self-conscious, I just put on my camp counsellor mask!”
• But her top skill? Making personal connections. She shares an anecdote of her inside jokes with the Ambassador of Vanuatu to the United Nations, arguing that “little things like that help establish a personal, human connection,” can make you more memorable, and people more willing to help you.

Advice & Tips

• Jule explains that young professionals today have to constantly pick up new skills as their career journey goes along; often going beyond the confines of their educational background. She describes her own experience of co-founding WYCJ with minimal knowledge on budgeting, fundraising, communications, graphic design, partnerships, and more. “Necessity is the mother of invention,” she concludes.
• She warns against expecting immediate success – “it will come through trial and error. Still, people will appreciate that you are trying.”
• “Always bring a buddy or a friend.” Jule thinks mission-driven work is best managed with a support network behind you. She recounts her own experience of her and WYCJ’s co-founder motivating each other when things did not go as planned, or celebrating when reaching a milestone.
• “Seek out ways to get involved.” Jule says signing up for newsletters is a good way to stay informed of things happening in one’s community, but also urges young professionals to join student societies and take advantage of their summer breaks to develop skills that will be crucial for their careers later on.
• “Do what your heart says. If you like law and theater, for example, I’m sure there’s a way to combine that.” Ultimately, Jule believes it is easier to become successful if one commits to something one is passionate about.

• Curriculum Vitae

  World’s Youth for Climate Justice (WYCJ), Director & Co-Founder, [2024-present]

  WYCJ, Global Secretariat – Finance, Fundraising and Donors Relations Manager & Co-Founder, [2021-2024]

  Plant-for-the-Planet Foundation, Policy & Advocacy Officer, [2025-present]

  Plant-for-the-Planet Foundation, International Empowerment Programmes Officer, [2023-2025]

  Plant-for-the-Planet Foundation, Team International Management, [2021-2023]

Connection to the Hub

As part of World’s Youth for Climate Justice, Jule is a member of the Humanity Hub. You can often find her working in the coworking areas, or meeting with colleagues at the Hub Cafe. Since 2025, she is serving as a member of the Hub’s Programming Advisory Board, and was recently a featured guest in our event series, The Handshake.