Thought Leaders
The United Nations and broader multilateral system bring together some of the world's leading thinkers on climate change—scientists, diplomats, economists, business leaders, activists and more. Check this page regularly for thoughtful conversations with people on the vanguard of actions to solve the climate emergency.
Dr. Adelle Thomas: Loss and damage: a moral imperative to act
Ahead of COP27, we asked Dr. Adelle Thomas, a lead author of the IPCC’s 2022 report on Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, and the Special Report on 1.5°C to shed more light on the issue, what it means for vulnerable populations exposed to the worsening climate impacts, and the growing imperative to address what’s at stake.
Simon Stiell: The cost of inaction is far greater than the cost of action
One month ahead of COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, the new Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change, Simon Stiell, discusses the urgent need for the world to invest in renewable energy, support lifesaving adaptation efforts and address the worsening plight of communities suffering losses and damages due to the growing impacts of climate change.
Catherine Mckenna: We need to get our act together
UN Secretary-General António Guterres recently appointed a diverse group of experts to help non-state actors - including businesses, investors and cities and regions - “to walk the talk on their net-zero promises.” Chair of the Group, Catherine McKenna, talks about why there is an urgent need for stronger and clearer standards, and criteria for assessing net-zero commitments from non-state entities such as businesses, banks, investors, cities, and regions.
Elizabeth Mrema: Protecting the world’s biodiversity
In December 2022, the world will convene in Montreal, Canada, to adopt a new framework for protecting the world’s biodiversity. The Executive Secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, Elizabeth Mrema, speaks about the interlinkages between climate change and biodiversity loss.
Hindou Ibrahim: Living in harmony with nature
“Indigenous peoples are a solution, we are not only a victim of the climate change,” says SDG Advocate and Indigenous rights activists Hindou Ibrahim, talking about the indispensable role that indigenous communities play in protecting life on our planet.
Inger Andersen: Justice is an essential part of the environmental discussion
As the UN Environment Programme marks fifty years of environmental diplomacy, Executive Director Inger Andersen talks about the importance of climate justice and the urgent shifts the world needs to make to realize a climate-resilient and low-emissions future.
Selwin Hart: Financing adaptation is an issue of justice and an economic imperative
As the Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on Climate Action, Selwin Hart spearheads a global drive to raise climate ambition now. In this interview, he talks about the critical need for developed countries to finance climate adaptation to save lives and protect livelihoods in countries facing the worst consequences from climate.
Damilola Ogunbiyi: Ending energy poverty saves lives and the planet
As the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All, Damilola Ogunbiyi is passionate about ending energy poverty. Progress demands collective commitment and clear plans, tools and finance, with the upcoming high-level dialogue on energy offering a chance to mobilize action.
Peter Thomson: Moving the needle on the sustainable blue economy
Ambassador Peter Thomson of Fiji, UN Special Envoy for the Ocean, mobilizes global action to conserve and sustainably use the ocean. He spoke recently about ocean-climate connections, perspectives from small island developing States and the far-reaching possibilities in developing a sustainable blue economy.
Mafalda Duarte: Climate finance catalyses change
Mafalda Duarte heads the Climate Investment Funds, which works with multilateral development banks, governments and communities in developing countries to finance climate solutions. In a recent interview, she spoke about how public climate finance catalyses change and why successful climate action depends fundamentally on social inclusion.
Patricia Espinosa: Climate calls for a unity of purpose
Patricia Espinosa is the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the foundational 1994 international agreement on climate action most recently elaborated in the 2015 Paris Agreement. In a make-or-break year for climate action, Espinosa reflects on the climate emergency, urging a unity of purpose.
Sharan Burrow: Shared prosperity provides hope and security
Why is climate a labour issue? Sharan Burrow explains – and explores what a just transition to a low-carbon economy really looks like. As head of the International Trade Union Confederation, she argues for a new commitment to achieving shared prosperity and abandoning economic patterns that fail people and the planet.
Elliott Harris: Measure the value of nature – before it’s too late
UN Chief Economist Elliott Harris introduces a ground-breaking shift in valuing nature as a way of making more informed decisions about economies, climate action and the protection of biodiversity. He urges acting now to end a 100-year legacy of treating environmental resources as free and limitless, a pattern that imperils our future.
Mark Carney: Investing in net-zero climate solutions creates value and rewards
In this interview, UN Special Envoy on Climate Action and Finance Mark Carney spoke about how private finance is increasingly aligned behind achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. He underlined that people everywhere should keep up the pressure in calling for climate action.