Christine Loh, left, and Joanne Ooi
Ages: Loh, 55; Ooi, 41
Occupation: Hong Kong environmental activists
Previous TIME 100 appearances: 0
Christine Loh and Joanne Ooi run Hong Kong's Clean Air Network (CAN), an organization dedicated to reducing air pollution — a killer issue (literally) in Hong Kong. Record levels of air pollutants are prompting officials to advise children and those with respiratory conditions to stay indoors on particularly bad days. That CAN even exists is surprising in a city notorious for its obsession with commerce almost to the exclusion of all else. But Loh and Ooi have raised awareness by authoring air-pollution reports, providing Hong Kong's policymakers with environmental and medical data, and helping secure the passage in March of an anti-idling bill meant to reduce vehicle emissions. Last year, CAN delivered a 25,000-signature petition demanding tighter air-quality standards to Hong Kong's Environmental Protection Department. It's only a start, but without Loh and Ooi, Hong Kong would not even have that.