October 29-30, 2024 | The EGG - Brussels, Belgium
The transition to a sustainable global economy is urgent, messy and uncertain. Whilst a growing majority of people understand why we need to change, how we do so is much harder. Amidst pressure to show win-win solutions that can leave some people feeling left behind, this TED Countdown gathering is designed to help leaders at the heart of the green transition to tip the balance in this decisive decade.
- In the face of roadblocks, how do we build upon remarkable (often under-reported) stories of success?
- How do we create the industries of the future without igniting new environmental and societal crises?
- Who is leading in the transition, what are the surprising wins underway, and what can we learn from them?
Speakers
You will hear from 20+ expert speakers. Take a sneak peek at the beginnings of our lineup below, and stay tuned for upcoming speaker reveals.
Forest steward
Andika Putraditama leads the Rimba Collective at Lestari Capital, a fund that aims to conserve 500,000 hectares of forests and deliver $1 billion in a bid to help halt the destruction of some of the most critical biodiversity and carbon stocks in Southeast Asia. He serves as a technical expert on climate and forest conservation task forces and financing initiatives worldwide.
Apocalyptic optimist
Dana R. Fisher is an acclaimed sociologist who has spent much of her career studying contemporary protest movements. Her work explores the intersection of activism, democracy, and climate policy. She is a contributing author for Working Group 3 of the IPCC 6th Assessment Review on citizen engagement and civic activism, and is a Professor at American University.
Methane mitigator
Daniel Zavala-Araiza is a senior scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund, revolutionizing satellite data for climate transparency and accelerated action on methane emissions. Daniel leads research efforts around the world and advises governments, regulators and industry on the design of emission mitigation policies.
Conservative climate champion
Danielle Butcher Franz is CEO of the American Conservative Coalition, where she builds bridges between traditional conservative values and environmental advocacy, attempting to put the conservative back in conservation. Danielle works with conservative youth groups, reaching them with the tools to engage in environmental issues. She has been named Forbes 30 under 30, with writing featured in Fox News, The Times and more.
Futures facilitator
Darya Shaikh, a partner at Leaders’ Quest, works with leaders across sectors to tackle big systemic challenges, from the future of banking to climate change. She is an expert in pattern thinking, futures consciousness, and radical collaboration. Prior to Leaders' Quest, Darya spent over a decade leading reconciliation efforts in the Middle East.
Solutions storyteller
Fenton Lutunatabua is founder of Pacific Climate Warriors and Beyond the Narrative. His work has helped spark a wave of environmental consciousness across the Pacific and beyond. Fenton is a filmmaker, podcaster, writer, photographer, facilitator and trainer from the Fiji Islands and is currently the Head of Asia Pacific at 350.org.
Indigenous innovator
Galina Angarova is a climate activist and land rights activist from the Ekhirit nation of the Buryat People in Siberia. She is at the forefront of safeguarding the right to self-determination of Indigenous peoples living in areas that face multiple threats: mining, oil and gas operations, industrial agriculture, mega-infrastructure and more. Galina is Executive Director of the Securing Indigenous Rights in the Green Economy (SIRGE) Coalition.
Energy expert
Greg De Temmerman is a scientist specializing in energy and climate tech, including 15 years in the field of fusion. He has worked in laboratories worldwide before joining the Quadrature Climate Foundation as Deputy CEO and Chief Science Officer. He is the author of Energy Chronicles and more than 230 articles in scientific journals.
Grid guru
Jason Huang, co-founder and CEO of TS Conductor, leads this innovative advanced conductor company, transforming the wires needed for the grid of the future. Under his leadership, TS Conductor has pioneered material science breakthroughs that have created cables with twice the conductivity of existing cables and just as much strength.
Solar savant
Jenny Chase has chronicled the twists and turns of the solar industry for nearly two decades and is seen as the closest solar has to an oracle. She is a market analyst for Bloomberg New Energy Finance, which she founded in 2006, helping investors, governments and companies make good decisions about the energy transition.
Vibrant visionary
Joshua Amponsem, named one of the 100 most influential young people in Africa, leads projects across climate action, disaster risk and resilience building. His work centers on the inclusion of youth and children in local and global development processes. Joshua co-directs the Youth Climate Justice Fund and served as the Climate Lead in the UN Secretary General’s Youth Envoy in 2021-2023.
Climate communicator
Veteran journalist Katherine Dunn is the Content Editor for the Oxford Climate Journalism Network. She now works with more than 600 journalists in over 120 countries to integrate quality climate coverage into newsrooms worldwide. Katherine is also the co-author of the European Broadcasting Union's 2023 report on Climate Journalism That Works.
Climate neuroscientist
Kris De Meyer is a pioneering neuroscientist and the Director of the Climate Action Unit at University College London. He brings insights from neuroscience and psychology to how we tell stories about climate change, communicate about climate risk, and create opportunities for climate action. Kris co-produced Right Between Your Ears – an award-winning documentary exploring the brain basis of polarization in society.
Contemporary folklorist
Movement builder
Matthew Phillips leads Groundswell – a joint project by the Bezos Earth Fund, Global Optimism, and the Systems Change Lab. With previous roles at UN Climate Change and Mission 2020, Matthew’s work supports a diverse and distributed chorus of voices to shape a narrative of courage and possibility around exponential climate progress.
Extraction Reformer
Climate diva
Pattie Gonia is a critically acclaimed drag queen, artist and environmentalist. Named Outside magazine’s Person of the Year, National Geographic’s Traveler of the Year and TIME magazine’s Next Gen Leader 2023, Pattie uses the art form of drag to educate, entertain and empower people from all walks of life to join the environmental movement.
History teacher
Roman Krznaric is a philosopher who writes about the power of ideas to create change. His books are widely influential and include international bestsellers’ History for Tomorrow: Inspiration from the Past for the Future of Humanity, The Good Ancestor and Empathy. Roman is a Senior Research Fellow at Oxford University's Centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing, and founder of the world’s first Empathy Museum.
Material Influencer
Serial entrepreneur Ryan Gilliam’s most recent venture looks at reducing the CO2 impact of the concrete industry via cement. With experience in the chemical industry as well as hydrogen, he brings clean technology expertise to speedily solve pollution challenges in an industry responsible for nearly 10 percent of global emissions.
Disinformation disruptor
Vidhya Ramalingam is a counter-terrorism expert. She is the founder and CEO of Moonshot, a company developing technology to keep communities safe from online abuse, and has a background in ethnography with far-right movements. Vidhya is an internationally recognized advisor to governments leading policy responses on terrorism prevention.