Miguel Araújo is a Research Professor at the National Museum of Natural Sciences, in Madrid and Chair of Biogeography at the University of Évora. He has published over 250 articles and is recognised as a world leader in the study of climate change effects on biodiversity. Thomson-Reuters highly-cited scientist since 2014, having received the 2016 Rey Jaime I Prize and 2018 Pessoa Prize.
Founder and Director Emeritus of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. Hans Joachim Schellnhuber is distinguished visiting Professor at Tsinghua University, China. He is an active member of numerous scientific societies, most important the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, the German National Academy Leopoldina and the US National Academy of Sciences.
Johan Rockström is Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and Professor in Earth System Science at the University of Potsdam. He is an internationally recognised scientist on global sustainability issues and led the development of the Planetary Boundaries framework for human development in the current era of rapid global change.
Professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value at U. College London and Director of UCL’s Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose. Mariana Mazzucato won such prizes as the Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought (2018), the Staël Prize for Cultural Values (2019) and the John von Neumann award (2020). She advises policy makers around the world on innovation-led, inclusive and sustainable growth.
European Commissioner for Energy and Climate Action in the Juncker Commission between 2014 and 2019, Miguel Arias Cañete led the EU negotiations of the Paris Agreement. Previously, he served as Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries (2000-2004) and as Minister for Agriculture, Food and Environment (2011-2014) in Spain.
Head of the Environmental Systems Analysis group of Wageningen University and editor-in-chief of the international journal Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability (Elsevier). Over the last decade, Rik Leemans has been recognized for developing and integrating innovative natural and social science knowledge.
Runa Khan is the Founder of Friendship, an International Social Purpose Organisation serving over 7 million climate migrants annually, with an integrated solution approach for 20 years, helping them transform their lives by bringing them opportunity, dignity, and hope. She has received numerous awards including, the Rolex Award for Entrepreneurship, and the Schwab Social Entrepreneurship Award.
Professor at the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba and CONICET, Argentina. She has pioneered the field of plant functional biodiversity and its links with societies, being one of the world’s most cited scientists in ecology. She has co-Chaired the first global intergovernmental assessment of biodiversity and human quality of life (IPBES Global Assessment).
Writer and environmentalist. Sunita Narain is Director-General of the Centre for Science and Environment and editor of the magazine Down To Earth. In 2005 she was awarded the Padma Shri by the Indian government and also received the World Water Prize. In 2020, she was awarded with the Edinburgh Medal. She continues to work on climate justice, arguing that the world needs an ambitious and equitable agreement. Ms. Narain was also a member of India’s Prime Minister’s Council for Climate Change.
