Juan Carlos Monterrey Gómez is a Panamanian climate policy expert, environmental advocate, and international negotiator. He currently serves as the Special Representative on Climate Change for Panama’s Ministry of the Environment.
At 28, Monterrey Gómez became Panama’s lead climate negotiator, leading the youngest national delegation at COP26 in Glasgow. He has held leadership roles within the UN Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC), including Vice Chair for Implementation, and has chaired regional negotiating blocs such as the Independent Alliance of Latin America and the Caribbean (AILAC) and the Coalition for Rainforest Nations.
In 2018, he was selected as an inaugural Obama Foundation Scholar and later became a Fellow at the Aspen Institute’s Ideas Festival. He co-founded Climate Resilient, a think tank focused on empowering vulnerable nations through climate innovation, and has consulted for the World Bank on carbon pricing and climate finance.
Monterrey Gómez holds a Master’s in International Development and Policy from the University of Chicago, a BA in Economics from Tulane University, and an Associate of Science degree from Northwest Missouri State University. His work has been featured in outlets such as TIME, Forbes, and the Washington Post.