Speakers

Nnimmo Bassey is an environmental justice advocate and activist as well as author and poet. He is director of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation and was awarded the Right Livelihood Award in 2010 and the Rafto Prize in 2012 for his long-term fight for people's right to life, health, food and water, especially in regions most vulnerable to climate change impacts. He has also been engaged in revealing the negative effects that the oil industry has for the local people in his home country Nigeria. He works at multiple levels, from local to global and is deeply immersed in networks including Oilwatch International and Climate Space - focussed on instigating system change.

Stefania Barca is Professor at the Center for Social Studies of the University of Coimbra (CES/UC), where she teaches on Ecological Crisis and Democracy. She is an environmental historian and political ecologist. Her current research interests cover the environmental impact of industry in the Anthropocene, the relationship between labor and the environment, environmental justice, degrowth and commoning. She has been member of the Supervisory Board of the EU 'Marie Curie' ITN 'Entitle'- European Network of Political Ecology.

Karen O'Brien is Professor at the Department of Sociology and Human Geography, University of Oslo. Her research focuses on climate change impacts, vulnerability, and adaptation including how climate change interacts with globalization processes and the implications for human security. She has participated in four IPCC reports and is on the Science Committee for Future Earth, a 10-year global change research initiative. She is also the co-founder of cCHANGE.no, a website that provides perspectives on transformation in a changing climate.

Noel Castree is Professor of Geography at the University of Wollongong’s School of Geography and Sustainable Communities. He is also a Honorary Professorial Research Fellow at Manchester University. Castree's research focuses on the political economy of environmental change and how to move beyond the nature-society dualism.

Toni Ribas is an enviromental activist turned into politician. He's member of Spanish green party Equo and coordinator of Barcelona en Comú's ecology group. He's also member of Greenpeace, 350 BCN (350.org local branch, that fights climate change, Moviment per la Justícia Climàtica (Climate Justice Movement) and la Plataforma per la Qualitat de l'Aire (Air quality platform).

Jennifer Coronado is an environmental activist and local government councillor in Barcelona's district of Nou Barris. She's responsible for the environmental area in EUiA (the catalan United Left party), member of the 'Tanquem les nuclears' (Let's close the nuclear plants) platform and associate in Espai Ambiental Cooperative.

Barcelona en Comú (Barcelona in Common) is a citizen platform created in 2014 and formed by left, progressive and ecological parties and activists. The spokesperson is Ada Colau, the current mayor of Barcelona and former activist of “Plataforma de Afectados por la Hipoteca” (Platform of Affected People by Mortgages). Its policy agenda includes defending social and environmental justice and community rights, promoting participatory democracy, fighting corruption, and developing a new model for Barcelona’s tourism.

Arne Johan Vetlesen is Professor at University of Oslo and environmental philosopher.  He is especially interested in nature's value in light of the debate between the anthropocentric and biocentric perspectives.

Peter Staudenmaier is associate professor of modern European history at Marquette University in the United States. His current research centers on environmental history and the rise of fascism in Germany and Italy. He is a long-time activist in ecological movements and has taught at the Institute for Social Ecology in Vermont.

Ruby van der Wekken is an activist, programme coordinator at the Siemenpuu Foundation (supports partners in the Global South around issues of ecological democracy), co-founder of Stadin Aikapankki (members exchange services on the basis of time) and member of a collective entitled Commons.fi aiming at taking forward discussions on Commons and Solidarity economy building in Finland.

Anders Færøvig Olsen, Oslo kooperativ (organic food cooperative based in Oslo)

Alette Elvenes, Kirkeby Andelslagsbruk