University Distinguished Professor, Department of Economics, Colorado State University
Edward B. Barbier’s main expertise is natural resource and development economics as well as the interface between economics and ecology. He has served as a consultant and policy analyst for a variety of national, international and non-governmental agencies, including many UN organisations, the OECD and the World Bank.
Professor, Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah and Cofounder/Technical Director, Sustainable Energy Solutions, Orem, UT
Larry Baxter is a Professor of Chemical Engineering at Brigham Young University (BYU) and the cofounder and technical director of Sustainable Energy Solutions. His sustainable-energy-focused research involves carbon capture, energy storage, biomass and fossil fuel processing and nuclear energy. He joined the Chemical Engineering faculty at BYU in late 2000, having worked 14 years previously at Sandia National Laboratories' Combustion Research Facility.
Director, Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit
Richard Black is Director of the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), a non-profit think-tank supporting informed debate on climate change and the energy transition. Richard was a science and environment journalist for the BBC, leaving in 2012 to join the Global Ocean Commission. In 2018 he wrote 'Denied', the only book about the UK's climate contrarian elite. Richard frequently contributes to media, taking part in the BBC's Attenborough documentary 'Climate Change: The Facts'.
Associate Fellow, Energy, Environment and Resources Programme, Chatham House
Duncan Brack is an independent environmental policy analyst, an Associate Fellow at the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House) and an Associate at Green Alliance. From 2010 to 2012 he was special adviser at the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change; before that he worked for Chatham House, and from 1998 to 2003 was head of its Sustainable Development Programme.
Head of Policy, United Nations Association – UK
Fred Carver is the Head of Policy for UNA-UK. Prior to joining the organisation, he ran the Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice, a human rights NGO. Before then he worked in local government and as a researcher and writer. He has conducted field research in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Israel and Palestine.
Professor Emerita, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of Connecticut and Senior Fellow, World Resources Institute Global Restoration Initiative
Robin Chazdon is a Professor Emerita in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department at the University of Connecticut and part-time Research Professor with the Tropical Forests and People Research Centre at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. She is a Senior Fellow with the World Resources Institute Global Restoration Initiative and a Senior Research Associate with the International Institute for Sustainability in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Chairman, UK Committee on Climate Change
Lord Deben was one of the UK’s longest serving Secretaries of State for the Environment (1993 to 1997). He has held several other high-level ministerial posts, including Secretary of States for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1989 to 1993). He founded and chairs Sancroft, a corporate responsibility consultancy working with blue-chip companies around the world to help them improve their environmental, social and ethical impact.
Head of Implementation Strategies, Director of Climate Analytics New York
Laetitia De Marez leads Climate Analytics’ work on enhancing science-based implementation strategies and facilitating access to climate finance for mitigation and adaptation actions in particularly vulnerable developing countries. Active in the UNFCCC negotiations since 2003 and subsequently in the Green Climate Fund, she served as an advisor to SIDS and LDCs representatives.
CEO, Climate Investment Funds (CIF)
Mafalda Duarte is CEO of Climate Investment Funds (CIF), an $8.5 billion multilateral fund supporting climate action in 72 developing countries for over a decade. Since assuming her position in 2014, Mafalda has implemented a pioneering vision centred on blazing new paths in leadership and learning in scaled climate action. CIF’s more than 300 investments are well known for enabling breakthroughs in renewable energy deployment and access, sustainable forestry, and climate resilience. Under Mafalda's leadership, CIF has developed new programs and investment vehicles to rapidly help drive up global ambition on climate.
CEO, World Green Building Council
Cristina Gamboa is a passionate advocate for green buildings and cities as an effective solution to climate change and other social justice and environmental goals. Cristina was previously CEO at Colombia Green Building Council and also has experience in economic research, journalism and international affairs.
Secretary-General, United Nations
António Guterres, the ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations, took office on 1 January 2017. Prior to his appointment as Secretary-General, he served as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from June 2005 to December 2015, heading one of the world’s foremost humanitarian organisations during some of the most serious displacement crises in decades
Director, International Centre for Climate Change & Development (ICCCAD)
Saleemul Huq is the Director of ICCCAD and Senior Fellow at the IIED. He was a lead author of the chapter on Adaptation and Sustainable Development in the third assessment report of the IPCC and one of the coordinating lead authors of ‘Inter-relationships between adaptation and mitigation’ in the IPCC’s Fourth Assessment Report (2007).
Director, Energy Research Institute, China’s National Development and Reform Commission
Jiang Kejun is Director of the Energy Research Institute, National Development and Reform Commission, China. He began research on climate change relative to energy policy analysis in 1993. From 1997, he participated in Working Group III of the International Panel on Climate Change Third Assessment Report and was a lead author for the the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report.
Deputy Director, International Centre for Climate Change & Development (ICCCAD)
Mizan R. Khan is Deputy Director of ICCCAD and Programme Director, LDC Universities’ Consortium on Climate Change (LUCCC) at ICCCAD, Independent University Bangladesh. He has a Ph.D in Environmental Policy and Management from the University of Maryland School of Public Policy, MD, USA.
WWF Leader, Asia-Pacific New Deal for Nature and People Initiative
Rizal Malik has a distinguished career in the management of non-profit organisations. He is currently WWF Leader, Asia-Pacific New Deal for Nature and People Initiative, and former CEO of WWF-Indonesia. Throughout his professional assignments, he has championed human and institutional development, democratic governance and public policy in Southeast Asia.
Co-Chair, Transition Pathway Initiative and Director of Ethics & Engagement, Church of England Pensions Board
Adam is the Director of Ethics and Engagement for the Church of England Pensions Board, Co-Chair of the Transition Pathway Initiative (TPI) and a Board Member of the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC). He also led the negotiations with Royal Dutch Shell resulting in the Joint Investor-Shell climate statement.
Professor of Applied Physics, Columbia University, New York
Michael E. Mauel is a Professor of Applied Physics at Columbia University and conducts research to optimise magnetically confined plasma for fusion. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society and former chair of the Division of Plasma Physics. He chaired the Plasma Science Committee of the US National Academies and co-chaired the 2019 Committee on a Strategic Plan for US Burning Plasma Research.
Vice President, Climate & Economics, World Resources Institute
Helen Mountford is Vice President, Climate & Economics at the World Resources Institute. She is also the Program Director for the New Climate Economy (NCE) initiative, a major international initiative that provides independent and authoritative evidence on the relationship between actions which can strengthen economic performance and reduce the risk of dangerous climate change.
Director Science Based Targets at CDP
Alberto Carrillo Pineda is Director Science Based Targets at CDP. Previously, Alberto led the Climate Business Engagement unit for WWF’s Global Climate and Energy Initiative coordinating efforts on topics including science-based target setting, policy engagement and transformational renewable electricity procurement.
Professor of Sustainable Energy, Imperial College London, and Co-chair, IPCC Working Group III (Mitigation)
Jim Skea is Professor of Sustainable Energy at Imperial College London with research interests in energy, climate change and technological innovation. His current main role is as Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group III for the 6th assessment cycle. He was Research Director of the UK Energy Research Centre 2004-12 and Director of the Policy Studies Institute 1998-2004.
First Minister of Scotland
Nicola Sturgeon is the first female First Minister and the first female leader of any of the devolved UK administrations. She entered the Scottish Parliament as a regional MSP for Glasgow in 1999 and is currently MSP for Glasgow Southside. In government she served as Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing and Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities. Throughout this period she also served as Deputy First Minister of Scotland. She became SNP Leader on November 14, 2014 and was sworn in as First Minister on November 20, 2014.
CEO, Chronos Sustainability and Chief Technical Advisor, Transition Pathway Initiative
Rory Sullivan is CEO, Chronos Sustainability and Chief Technical Advisor, Transition Pathway Initiative (TPI). He is an internationally recognised expert on climate finance and responsible investment. He is the author/editor of eight books and of many papers and reports on these and related issues
Chief Executive Officer, Preventable Surprises
Jérôme Tagger joined Preventable Surprises on 1 January 2020 after fifteen years building organizations that help the economy make proactive choices about long term ESG trends and systemic risks. He was a Director at the Global Impact Investing Network, the founding COO of the UN-backed Principles for Responsible Investment, Head of Research at Eurosif and Chief Revenue Officer at ImpactAlpha. He most recently advised UNEP FI’s Positive Impact Initiative and the World Benchmarking Alliance.
Communications Officer, United Nations Association - UK
Enyseh is the Communications Officer at the United Nations Association - UK, responsible for the Organisation’s public communications and supporting its policy and campaign work. Enyseh is a qualified journalist and holds a Masters degree from the University of St Andrews and a first-class degree in Middle Eastern Studies from SOAS, University of London.
United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean
In 2017, the United Nations Secretary-General Guterres appointed Ambassador Peter Thomson of Fiji as his Special Envoy for the Ocean. Ambassador Thomson brings distinguished experience in diplomatic services and is familiar with the work of the UN, including as Permanent Representative of Fiji to the UN and President of the 71st session of the UN General Assembly.
Associate Professor, Data, Systems, and Society, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Jessika Trancik is an associate professor in the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her research examines the impacts of technologies and the reasons behind technological change. She has developed theory and predictive models to understand why some technologies improve faster than others, and what technology features enable rapid innovation.
Professor at Utrecht University and Senior Researcher, Department of Climate, Air and Energy, PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency
Detlef van Vuuren is Professor in Integrated Assessment of Global Environmental Change (Utrecht University) and senior researcher at PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency leading the IMAGE modelling team. He works concentrates on scenario development for research on climate change and sustainable development issues. He works as (coordinating) lead author in several international assessments, including IPCC.
Lord Mayor of Adelaide
Elected Lord Mayor in November 2018, Sandy is keen to keep costs low for residents and businesses by reducing red tape, strengthening Adelaide’s global reputation for culture, climate change action, and entrepreneurialism, preserving Adelaide’s heritage, and enhancing the city’s precincts and main streets for the benefit of local small business owners and the community.
Climate, Energy and Air Pollution Programme Coordinator, Zero Waste Europe
Janek joined Zero Waste Europe in August 2015. As Climate, Energy and Air Pollution Programme Coordinator, he leads on climate and energy policy advocacy work. He holds a MSc in Environmental Sciences and Policy from Central European University and Postgraduate degree in Charity Marketing from Cass Business School.