Theme: Countdown

On October 10, 2020, we will join the global call to action to change how we tackle climate change. We will hear from leading thinkers and doers about what a healthy, abundant, zero-emission future can look like; stirring examples of real progress underway; and powerful reasons why this post-crisis moment is the time to act. This global gathering will serve as inspiration and a call to action to the world’s leaders — and to people everywhere — to step up and participate in building a better future.

Parliament Buildings
Stormont
Belfast, Belfast, BT4 3XX
United Kingdom

Anna Kernahan

Student and climate activist

Anna is a climate justice and ecological activist from Belfast who solo strikes for the climate every Friday as a part of Fridays for Future. Anna was one of the leaders of the Youth Strike for Climate which took place across Northern Ireland, and the world, in September 2019 and saw thousands of school pupils leave school to protest the lack of reaction by decision makers to the climate emergency.

David McGowan

Energy Systems Engineer

Dr. David McGowan is a Senior Lead Engineer within Energy Systems Analysis at SONI. David was responsible for SONI’s Tomorrow’s Energy Scenarios, which sets out a range of credible pathways for the decarbonisation of the NI power system. David is a steering group member for scenario building working group within the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSOE). The scenario working group is responsible for developing long term gas and electricity scenarios that are compliant with EU Energy and Climate Targets. Before joining SONI, David worked as a research fellow in power system control, at Queen’s University, Belfast from which he holds a PhD in Engineering.

Final Act

Angrynomics Activists, Technologists and Musicians

Final Act brings together technologists from NASA, MIT and Google in collaboration with globally renowned musicians, including Nick Roth, Matthew Gilsenan and Síobhra Quinlan, to explore the human emotional cost of the interaction of technology and climate change.

Grainia Long

Commissioner for Resilience

Grainia Long is Commissioner for Resilience for the city of Belfast, based in Belfast City Council. Her role was created following Belfast’s membership of the global 100 Resilient Cities network, funded by the Rockefeller Foundation. Previous to this, she was Chief Executive of the national child protection charity in the Republic of Ireland, ISPCC Childline. This position followed several years working in housing, including as Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), and previously National Director of the CIH in Northern Ireland. She has served two terms as a member of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, was a member of the Lyons Commission on Housing Supply and Advisor to the Best Commission on the Future of Housing in Northern Ireland. She is currently Chair of Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing Trust, a social housing provider in England, and Senior Independent Director on MTVH Group Board.

John Barry

Professor of Green Political Economy

John Barry Professor of Green Political Economy and Director of the Centre for Sustainability, Equality and Climate Action at Queens University Belfast. What keeps him awake at night is the life opportunities and future wellbeing of his children. His areas of academic research include post-growth and heterodox political economy; the politics, policy and political economy of climate breakdown and climate resilience; and socio-technical analyses of low carbon energy transitions. His latest book is The Politics of Actually Existing Unsustainability: Human Flourishing in a Climate-Changed, Carbon-Constrained World (Oxford University Press). Since January 2020 is co-chair of the Belfast Climate Commission, and was a Green Party councillor from 2011-2018 on Ards and North Down council.

Kaitlyn Laverty

Activist, student, artist

Kaitlyn is 18 year old student from Northern Ireland and a climate justice and ecological activist. She is part of Extinction Rebellion and strikes for climate on Fridays.

Nichola Mallon

Minister for Infrastructure, Northern Ireland Executive

Nichola Mallon has been a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for Belfast North since 2016, and was Lord Mayor of Belfast in 2014–2015. She was elected Deputy Leader of the SDLP in 2017. She was appointed Minister for Infrastructure on 11 January 2020.

Scott Sisters

Film makers and entrepreneurs

Sophia, Georgia and Nina Scott share a lifetime of travel experience, and have lived and worked all over the world. Together, Georgia and Sophia have two decades of experience with their documentary film company GroundTruth Productions, working across the globe. Nina has spent her career working on product development and material design within the artisan textiles sector.

Sinéad O'Sullivan

Senior Research Fellow at MIT

Sinéad O’Sullivan is a Senior Research Fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with a focus on the geopolitics of technologies. Within the AI Policy for the World Project, she examines the interaction of artificial intelligence on global democracies with a goal of promoting democracy, de-escalation and diversity. This fits into a broader area of her research on complex business and government systems. An Aerospace Engineer from N.Ireland, with a Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering from Queen’s University of Belfast, a Masters in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, a Certificate of Space Engineering from the International Space University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Sinéad is also a Senior Advisor at the Belfast-based Centre for Democracy and Peace Building.

Síobhra Quinlan

Irish Vocalist, Composer & Creative Producer

Síobhra Quinlan is an Irish Vocalist, Composer & Creative Producer. An enchanting and magnetic performer, Síobhra's work invites the listener into a bewitching realm. Internationally, Síobhra has performed in NYC, California, Berlin & Paris. Most recently, Síobhra performed alongside Colm Mac Con Iomaire as part of Other Voices, Courage

Travis Mason

Innovator and Creator

Travis Mason is an innovator and multi-disciplinary creator. His work, including at Google [X] and Airbus has helped to facilitate remarkable innovations in a wide mix of areas including engineering, emerging technology, and public policy.