Speakers
We are extremely proud to present our diverse list of speakers for this year's forum, many who are part of the CLIMATE 100 list – The world’s most influential people in climate policy. Click on their names below to navigate to their profiles!
Alternatively, click here to download a PDF with all the speakers.

Professor Anthony Nyong* Professor Jyoti Parikh* Mayor Mohamed Sefiani*
Kefeshe Bernard Dr Hayley Pinto Trude Rauken
Manav Khanna Dr Ed Turner Dr Fabiano de Andrade Correa
Professor Howard Griffiths Neeshad Shafi* Director Debbie Raphael*
Hannah Charlotte Copley Harvey Brown Jonathan Shanklin
Prof. Naoko Ishii* Duncan Catchpole Rhiannon Osborne
Tom Howes Saurabh Gupta Rosanna Jackson
Taylor Leigh Cannizzaro Peter Pope and Kath McGuire Tungsten Tang and Kam Galloway
Luisa Deragon Lulu Agate (Cambridge Friends of the Earth)


*Denotes speakers that are part of the CLIMATE 100 list.

Team Member
Professor Anthony Nyong
Prof. Nyong holds a Ph.D. in Geography from McMaster University, Canada. He is a Senior Executive Fellow of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, a Chartered Geographer and a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences. He was also named among the top 20 of the 100 most Influential People in Climate Policy 2019 by Apolitical.

Professor Nyong has been appointed as Regional Director of GCA Africa on secondment from his position at the African Development Bank. GCA Africa was launched in September 2020 to work with partners across the continent to scale and accelerate adaptation action that protects African communities from the impacts of climate change.


Team Member
Professor Jyoti Parikh
Jyoti Kirit Parikh is the executive director of Integrated Research and Action for Development, a research and policy analysis institute focusing on sustainable development. She was a member of the Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change in India and has served as energy and environment consultant to the World Bank and the United Nations Development Program. In 2007, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize as a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.


Team Member
Mayor Mohamed Sefiani
(Unfortunately unable to attend the Forum)

Mohamed Sefiani is the mayor of Chefchaouen in Morocco, a city commended for its commitment to sustainability. He has also extended his impact to other areas: he is president of the Moroccan Association of Eco-Cities and the UCLG Forum, a biannual meeting dedicated to policy development. He is a member of the Intermediate Cities Board and the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy.


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Team Member
Dr Ed Turner
Ed is Curator of Insects at the University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge and leads the Insect Ecology Group. His research focusses on ways that ecosystems can be managed to benefit biodiversity and associated ecosystem functions, with a focus on large-scale experiments. In SE Asia in collaboration with industry partners, he runs two large-scale field experiments investigating the effects of understory management and strategies for river margin restoration on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. In the UK, he has a long term partnership with the BCN Wildlife Trust to investigate ways that fragmented reserves can be managed to support a range of butterfly species in the face of climate change."

In his talk, Ed will discuss some of the long-term work he and his group have been carrying out on chalk grassland reserves in Bedfordshire, to identify best management practices to protect threatened species from climate change, and the value of volunteers for collecting large-scale and fine-resolution data.


Team Member
Dr Fabiano de Andrade Correa
Fabiano is a Lawyer and international consultant with extensive experience in different IGOs, with a particular focus on climate change, biodiversity, environmental law and policy, land, human rights, trade and sustainable development, and responsible investments. He serves as Lead Counsel for the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law (CISDL), Peace, Justice and Governance Programmes. Coordinator of the ‘Climate Change and Agriculture’ Working Group with LACLIMA (network of climate lawyers in Brazil); Member of the ILA (Committee on the Role of International Law in Sustainable Natural Resources Management for Development) and the IUCN World Commission of Environmental Law (WCEL). Guest lecturer in different universities in Brazil and in Italy. Ph.D / LL.M. (EUI, Italy); Master in Diplomacy and International Relations (Diplomatic School of Madrid / Universidad Complutense) LL.B (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil).

Dr Fabiano de Andrade Correa will be speaking on the interlinkages between agriculture and food systems and climate change / environmental protection, the international legal framework on these issues – e.g. the Paris Agreement and how it relates to food and agriculture and the roles of governments, private sector and civil society (individuals) in these challenges.


Team Member
Dr Debbie Raphael
Debbie Raphael is the Director of the San Francisco Department of the Environment and believes that cities can take bold action to address environmental harm. A scientist by training and public servant by profession, Debbie has spent most of her career working in government to ensure that everyone has an equal right to a safe and healthy environment.




Team Member
Duncan Catchpole
Duncan Catchpole is the founder and owner of the Cambridge Organic Food Company and Cambridge Food Hub. He is also a founding committee member of Cambridge Sustainable Food, and author of 'Local Food Ecosystems; How Food Hubs Can Help Create a More Sustainable Food System'.

In his talk Duncan will give an introduction to the concept of the 'Local Food Ecosystem', and describe some of the things Cambridge Food Hub has been doing locally to reduce food waste, cut emissions in the supply chain, and increase the amount of sustainably and locally produced food making its way into the city. The Local Food Ecosystem is a food system designed around circular economy principles which, in addition to lowering the environmental impact of food, also leads to more equitable distribution of it. Cambridge Food Hub plans to open a significant new sustainable food distribution center for Cambridge within two years.


Team Member
Harvey Brown
Harvey is a first year English student at Jesus College. As a member of the Jesus College Climate Justice Campaign, earlier this year he helped in the researching and writing of the campaign’s recent report ‘Investing in Exploitation and Extinction: Why Climate Justice Demands that Jesus College Goes Beyond Divestment’ which really hammered home for me the intersectional nature of the struggle for climate justice, and the industries and systems of oppression beyond fossil fuels which are driving the climate crisis. In the wake of the College’s woeful response to our report, he is keen to campaign further on climate justice issues and raise awareness of the need to go beyond divestment. In addition, I hope to hold the university to account on its divestment progress in his role as the incoming Undergraduate Co-Chair for the SU Ethical Affairs Campaign.

Topics he would like to speak about include: What’s next for the divestment movement after the University’s historic divestment announcement last year and the importance of acknowledging the climate crisis as an intersectional crisis of exploitation and injustice and the need to broaden our divestment criteria. Harvey will also be discussing how colleges and other institutional investors can make amends for their historic investments and emissions and how we can effectively hold colleges to account for their divestment decisions.


Team Member
Jonathan Shanklin
I was born in Wrexham, North Wales and educated at King's School, Chester and Magdalene College, Cambridge. I was employed by the British Antarctic Survey from 1977 to 2012 and was head of the Meteorological and Ozone Monitoring Unit when I retired. In the early 1980s I discovered what is now known as the Antarctic ozone hole. This discovery was published in Nature in 1985. I've made 20 trips to the Antarctic, visiting all the British bases. I was responsible for running the operational side of the BAS meteorological observing program. This work included purchasing, testing and installing new equipment, writing computer software, recruiting Antarctic scientists, training staff, analysing data, solving problems, writing papers and giving public lectures. I was the UK representative on the WMO working group on Antarctic Meteorology and served on several other national and international committees. I was also a Union Safety Representative and as such was vice-chair of the NERC H&S Committee. I am now an emeritus fellow at the British Antarctic Survey.

I received a Blue Peter Badge for the ozone hole discovery. Other awards include the Society of Chemical Industry Environment Medal and the Institute of Physics Charles Chree Medal and Prize. In 2005 I was awarded the Polar Medal for my work in the Antarctic and received the medal from Her Majesty in May 2006. In 2020 Shanklin Glacier was named after me.

In the talk I will give a brief introduction to Antarctica and why the ozone hole forms over the continent. I’ll discuss the links between ozone depletion and climate change and then give a personal view on the underlying link between these and other environmental concerns.


Team Member
Kefeshe Bernard
Kefeshe (she/they) is a first-year HSPS student at Jesus College and an intersectional climate justice activist. They have been organising climate protests as part of the UK Student Climate Network's #fridaysforfuture as well as facilitating space for discussion about climate justice in her local area. Alongside this, they co-founded their local chapter of BLM, organising protest, discussion and education surrounding the injustices faced by many POC in the UK, taking time to focus on how these issues are only exacerbated on a dying planet. On her Instagram, YouTube (and soon other platforms), she shares her experiences of climate action and sustainable living as a black, queer young person to other young people, hoping to spark discussion as to how individuals can make positive contributions in the fight against the climate crisis.

Kefeshe will be speaking about challenges which may prevent marginalised individuals from participating or engaging in climate justice action and ways individuals can empower themselves in this movement.


Team Member
Luisa Deragon
(CCSF 2021 Coordinator and guest speaker filling in for Mayor Mohamed Sefiani)

Luisa is a final year PhD student in Biological Sciences, from Girton College. A veterinarian by training, Luisa have always been passionate about species conservation and the environment. During the course of her studies, Luisa collaborated in a few social causes and innovation projects such as, Medical i-Teams (in a ‘project to start-up’ initiative called MyICUvoice), Shaping Horizons and Engage for Change, not to mention volunteering in a Student Community Action project called Big Sibs. She is Co-founder and CEO in a Start-up called RE.USE, which promotes replacing the use of disposable food containers in takeaway orders for reusables. She is also Coordinator for this year’s Cambridge Climate and Sustainability Forum, ‘Sustainability in Action’.


Team Member
Dr Hayley Pinto
I am a consultant addiction psychiatrist with over 25 yrs experience working in the NHS and publicly funded services. I am currently the lead consultant for Change Grow Live Norfolk - the drug and alcohol service covering the county of Norfolk. I am also a speaker and activist for Greenpeace; Chair and co-founder of CHAIN (Climate Hope Action in Norfolk); a member of Doctors for Extinction Rebellion, Psych Declares and Health Declares. Perhaps more importantly, I am also a mother.

I believe a sustainable, equitable future is possible if we join together to create it. I am motivated in my efforts to strive for this by my love for my children and the beauty of the natural world we inherited and on which we depend.


Team Member
Trude Rauken
Prior to joining CNCA in 2018, Trude worked as a senior policy advisor on climate to the City of Oslo, and prior to that she was a senior researcher at CICERO – Center for Climate Research. Trude brings expert knowledge on the role of local government in solving climate issues and the opportunities coming from network collaboration across local government. She holds a Master’s degree in Political Economy from BI Norwegian School of Management and a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Communication from University of Oregon.


Team Member
Professor Howard Griffiths
Howard Griffiths is the Professor of Plant Ecology and a Fellow of Clare College, and undertakes research into photosynthetic carbon concentrating mechanisms. His research integrates molecular methods, laboratory experimentation and fieldwork to define tropical epiphyte distribution, crop productivity and climate change impacts. Most recently, he leads the Cambridge Global Food Security Interdisciplinary Research Centre and has developed more generic approaches to resilience in cropping systems, also focussing on health, nutrition and equal opportunities in India and Africa through international consortia.

Professor Howard's talk is titled “How much water do you consume, and in which country?” You may feel that the recent pandemic has severely restricted your opportunities for travel, reducing emissions and personal carbon footprints. But how much water do you use, and how much of that is ‘imported’ indirectly in food and commodities produced overseas? We will consider the environmental costs of water use for countries which grow crops such as cotton and rice, and how we could develop climate smart agriculture.

Contact: hg230@cam.ac.uk
Website: https://www.plantsci.cam.ac.uk/research/howardgriffiths


Team Member
Neeshad Shafi
Neeshad is an Environmentalist, Speaker and Social Change Advocate based in Doha, Qatar. He has over 5 years of experience in analyzing global environmental, climate and energy policies with a special focus on the Arab Gulf and Middle East. An active civil society member and has been a prominent presence at international climate summits especially UN Climate Summit (COP’s) since 2015. In March 2019, he was named in the Apolitical’s List of the 100 Most Influential People in Climate Policy 2019. Neeshad is a TEDx Speaker and Agenda Contributor for the World Economic Forum. His articles and interviews have appeared in Washington Post, Al Jazeera, Inside Arabia, The Gulf Times, Qatar Tribune, Qatar Today, Global Landscapes Forum, Oryx FM and EcoMENA. He holds a master’s degree in Energy & Environmental Engineering and is a Board Member at Climate Action Network (CAN) Arab World and CoalitionWILD. He is also on the Global Shapers Climate and Environment and UNESCO Youth Climate Action Network (YoU-CAN) steering committees.

He looks forward to speaking about his team's journey of establishing Arab Youth Climate Movement Qatar, a first registered youth led independent Environmental association in Qatar and Gulf region in the Middle East. Also, our work on climate adivay, awareness and policy programme.

Contact: neeshad@aycmqatar.org
Website: www.neeshad.com


Team Member
Lulu Agate (Cambridge Friends of the Earth)
Generally happiest when found with her perfect combination of her cats, a planning application or a knitting project and a good mug of coffee, Lulu has a wealth of experience gained in a wide variety of voluntary roles with multiple organisations. Her interest in environmental campaigning was sparked in 1981. A bored teenager, she spent a week folding thousands of leaflets about Halvergate Marshes with Broadland Friends of the Earth. Her main motivation was to annoy her parents. Now she prefers to annoy governments, planning authorities, greedy developers and irresponsible corporations who seek to enrich themselves at the expense of the environment.

The 1981 campaign to save Halvergate Marshes, Wicken Fen and other precious wetlands from deep drainage and conversion to arable farming resulted in the 1986 designation of large areas of the marshlands as Environmentally Sensitive Area. The campaign was founded on the application of indisputable scientific facts. This tactic combined with the ethos of community involvement is what Lulu loves so much about volunteering with Friends of the Earth.

In her talk Lulu will give a brief background to the origins of Friends of the Earth and its most notable successes. She’ll discuss the links between personal indignation, feelings of powerlessness and community action.


Team Member
Cllr Hannah Charlotte Copley
Hannah is a newly elected councillor at Cambridge City Council and will discuss our current democratic system, how and why to interact with your elected representatives, how to get attention on your issue and why you should consider standing for election yourself! She is part of the Green Party, Abbey Ward and the Cambridge City Council.

She will be speaking about action on the Climate and Ecological Emergencies and standing for election.


Team Member
Manav Khanna
Manav’s Interests in sustainability and related issues inspired him to work on climate change issues. He is currently a researcher in Management in Innovation, Sustainability, and Healthcare at Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy. He is researching climate change impacts and CO2 emissions with the correlation of circular economy indicators. He is also associated with the Shaping Horizons in the innovation Team. He received a master’s degree in International Trade, finance, and management through the POSCO ASIA scholarship program from the Graduate School of International Studies (GSIS) at Yonsei University, South Korea. Before coming to Italy, he worked with the Independent Evaluation Unit (IEU) of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) in South Korea.

Manav will be speaking on how an individual can mitigate climate change and take part in sustainability by giving my own examples of reducing, repairing and reusing stuff in day to day life (by showing an example of the butterfly effect). Also, eating habits focusing on sustainability, how individual's actions can be implemented at the community level (by showing examples of social norms) and how governments can promote these actions by regulatory frameworks such as the right to repair, reuse, etc.

LinkedIn: Manav Khanna


Team Member
Rhiannon Osborne
Rhiannon Osborne is a medical student and the policy and advocacy director at Students for Global Health who campaign on climate change, health and inequality. She is an independent commissioner on the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Commission on Climate, set up to advise the combined authority on climate risks and policies in the region.

In particular, she is focussing on a just transition, co-benefits and transport.


Team Member
Saurabh Gupta
Saurabh Gupta Started Earth5R in November 2014, a Mumbai based global environmental organization which takes action on sustainability issues through the citizen-led program “ACT Global”, Action, Collaboration, Transformation. Since then, Earth5R expanded the operations in 35 cities across India and 25 countries globally. Sustainability Influencer and TEDx speaker. Attended and led meetings and lobby visits with Global and Indian politicians, Diplomats, Citizen groups, Municipalities, NGO and environmental groups.


Team Member
Rosanna Jackson
Rosanna works at the Carbon Trust, a not-for-dividend group which advises governments and companies around the world on the move to a sustainable, low carbon economy. Rosanna has a strong track record in Asian markets as a Japanese and Mandarin speaker and focuses on enabling renewable energy projects, such as offshore wind, in the region. Prior to the Carbon Trust, Rosanna worked in the Economic Section of the Embassy of Japan (UK), where she specialised in economic policy analysis and diplomacy, covering topics such as renewable energy, environmental policy, and trade policy. Rosanna holds an MPhil in Development Studies from the University of Cambridge where her research focused on development economics and evaluating green growth strategies in Asia and Europe, as well as a BA in Japanese and Chinese Studies from the University of London, SOAS.

She will be speaking about climate change policy design and the challenges associated with it, touching on areas such as the limitations at a global level, reconstruction of environmental space, and the relationship between human social needs and environmental limitations.


Team Member
Taylor Leigh Cannizzaro
Taylor is the Chief Alliance Officer at Plastic Bank. Taylor develops worldwide relationships by engaging international company adoption of (a) initiatives that empower societal engagement and awareness to halt ocean plastic, (b) raising awareness in developed western societies, and (c) alleviating poverty in underdeveloped countries. Taylor works to create a world that works responsibly and holistically. She began her career as a molecular-oncology professional driving better diagnostics and treatment liaising between teams bringing new tests to market and new company launches. Taylor honed skills in sales and marketing crafting out-reach initiatives. Ultimately she became an international change-maker in dealing with worldwide pollution. With years of leadership and communication training, Taylor supports and nurtures relationships that empower environmental and social positive impact. Taylor believes in the power to create anything you commit to and brings integrity and enthusiasm to any initiative. She believes it's “kairos time” to protect the planet and its inhabitants.Taylor also has a strong background as a yoga instructor and health coach. In her off time – you can find Taylor ocean or wake surfing, practicing yoga and as an avid student of transformational learning, while focused as an avant garde for the oceans and people.

Plastic Bank® empowers the regenerative society. We build ethical recycling ecosystems in coastal communities, and reprocess the materials for reintroduction into the global supply chain as Social Plastic®. Our members receive a premium for the materials they collect which helps them provide basic family necessities such as groceries, cooking fuel, school tuition, and health insurance. Our proprietary blockchain platform secures the entire transaction and provides real-time data visualization – allowing for transparency, traceability, and rapid scalability.


Team Member
Tom Howes
Tom Howes is the head of the Energy and Environment Division at the International Energy Agency (IEA). In the past, he has worked on a range of resource management, energy and climate policies for the Australian government, the UK government, and the European Commission. His current work involves leading the division promoting energy and climate issues with IEA countries and associate countries, liaising with COP26 and UN parties and the IEA's work on CCUS technology policy.


Team Member
Prof. Naoko Ishii
Prof. Naoko is the Executive Vice President at the University of Tokyo, Professor at Institute for Future Initiatives, and Director at the Center for Global Commons.

This is what she believes in: We need a new global mechanism to safeguard the global commons, which is a stable and resilient earth system that supports our lives. We need to transform key economic systems such as energy, cities, food, and circularity. Intergovernmental agreements such as climate change treaties need to be supplemented by multi-stakeholder coalitions joined by business, academia, policy makers and citizens.


Team Member
Kath McGuire and Peter Pope
Kath McGuire is an educator with a passion for social justice and international development. She has been based in Cambridge for 20 years but in that time has also travelled and taught abroad. She is an active member of CamDEAG to which she brings data analysis and teaching experience.

Peter Pope is a retired physicist and permaculture advocate. I was an undergraduate in 1972 at the time when the original Limits to Growth report to the Club of Rome was published. I have supported the New Economics Foundation (UK) from its inception and I started the Local Exchange Trading System (CamLETS) in Cambridge in 1993. From my perspective Doughnut Economics provides a coherent framework for 21st century economics and a resolution of the errors of the last two centuries.

Their presentation will give a brief summary of the work of Kate Raworth and a context for 21st century economics.


Team Member
Tungsten Tang and Kam Galloway
Tungsten Tang is a first-year engineering undergraduate at the University of Cambridge. He is one of the Cambridge SU Ethical Affairs Co-Chair, where he helps faciliate the intersectional work between campaigns ranging from workers’ justice, climate justice to demilitarisation, and acts as a student representative in the University's Environmental Sustainability Strategy Committee (ESSC). He is also a Staff Science Writer for Varsity, writing mainly about the implications of science on global democratisation and economics, and his conflicted, unreciprocated love for concrete (soon published).
Varsity Profile: Tungsten Tang

Kam Galloway is a first-year undergraduate student at the University of Cambridge, studying architecture. He currently sits on the Cambridge SU’s Ethical Affairs Committee as their Climate Justice Officer, representing student climate interests by pushing for structural change in combating the climate crisis and holding the university to account for their ecological commitments. He is also the Charities, Campaigns, and Environmental Officer on the Peterhouse JCR.

They will be speaking on why students get into student campaigns, what climate justice is, and the pragmatic aspects of campaigning.




CCSF logo CCSF logo

This conference is organised and run by a group of students who are dedicated to spreading the word about climate change and environmental issues. This initiative is part of the Cambridge Hub, a branch of Student Hubs, a registered charity in England and Wales. (No. 1122328).