Earth Science and Climate Change

Rodrigo Perpétuo has been the Executive Secretary of ICLEI South America since 2016. He holds a Ph.D. from the Graduate Program in Environmental Science (PROCAM/IEE-USP), a degree in Economics from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), and a Master’s degree in International Relations from the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (PUC-MG). Rodrigo also holds specializations in Business Management from Fundação Dom Cabral and in Decentralized Cooperation from the Open University of Catalonia. Previously, he served as Head of the International Relations Advisory Office for the Government of the State of Minas Gerais, as Municipal Secretary for International Relations of the City of Belo Horizonte, and as a professor at institutions such as Ibmec, Fundação João Pinheiro, and UniBH.

Eeva Kuntsi-Reunanen works as a senior researcher in the Weather and Climate Change Impact Research unit at Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) and is acting as a head of Climate Change and Innovation Research group at FMI. She works on issues related to economics and impacts of climate change. Kuntsi-Reunanen has authored peer-reviewed articles on the environmental impact on energy use and future climate policy and has written 50+ publications and working papers on energy efficiency and climate policy issues. She is acting as a referee in several scientific journals. She and her group have conducted several research projects on climate related issues funded by domestic, EU and international organizations. She is currently involved in EU Horizon VALORADA (FMI PI), OceanNets (co-WP1 leader) and PIISA (member of Executive Board, consortium’s management team and risk manager) projects, EAKR funded Carbon Busters project (FMI PI and member of Steering Group), Ministry of Education and Culture of Finland funded Specialisation programme in climate expertise (FMI PI and member of Executive Board). She has supervised several master theses and is currently supervising PhD theses on environmental economics postgraduate studies.

Dr. Imaneh Goli holds a Ph.D. in Agronomy and is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Liège in Belgium. She has authored over 25 peerreviewed journal articles and has an h-index of 10. Her research focuses on climate-smart agriculture, food security, agroecology, and the impacts of climate change on small-scale farmers.

Dr. Chadwick’s research seeks to explain how river systems evolve and respond to our rapidly changing world. He has 10+ years of experience quantifying river processes using a blend of theoretical modeling, remote sensing, laboratory flume experiments, and geophysical field techniques; and has contributed to interdisciplinary field campaigns on the Mississippi River (LA, USA), the Koyukuk River (AK, USA), the Yellow River (China), and the Ganges-Brahmaputra river system (Bangladesh). His work is defined by two common threads. First, he seeks answers to fundamental questions about the origin and organization of Earth’s river systems. Second, he investigates how rivers today are responding to human activities and global climate change-especially in our vulnerable coastal zones and cryosphere-to address twenty-first-century concerns about geologic hazards and environmental sustainability.

Dr. Sovik Mukherjee, at present, is an Assistant Professor in Economics in the Faculty of Commerce and Management at St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata. His profile features in the “Top 30 Most Influential Young Economists – 2022” list published by the Institute of Certified Chartered Economists (ICCE). In addition to this and the numerous awards he has received, one award needs a special mention. He is the first recipient of the prestigious “Bhabatosh Dutta Memorial Award 2020” by Arthabishleshon and the Society of Economic Research in Bengali (SERB), Kolkata. He has contributed extensively to edited volumes and peer-reviewed journals of national and international renown in the fields of energy economics and geopolitics, socio-economic issues, digital economy, and economics of platforms. He serves on the editorial board of reputable international journals, like International Journal of Strategic Management and Innovation, International Journal of Project Management and Productivity Assessment, to name some, and has also refereed for journals like Journal of South Asian Development, Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, among others.

Prof. Zhongsheng Guo, Ph.D., Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, China. He put forward the theory of resources use limit by plants, the theory of vegetation carrying capacity, the theory of critical period of regulation of plant resource relations and the new theory of soil and water conservation. This is the theoretical basis for high-quality development of forest, grass, agriculture and soil and water conservation. Now, he is Head of "innovation China" Agricultural high-quality production and industry Service Group.

Jatani Bonaya Godana is an Ethiopian academic, climate advocate, and Founder & CEO of Daayyaa Generation Network (DGN). He serves as a young researcher and instructor at Dilla University, specializing in water engineering, Indigenous knowledge, and sustainable development. He holds a BSc in Water Supply and Sanitary Engineering, an MSc in Civil Engineering, and an MSc in Project Management, Analysis, and Evaluation. Currently, he is pursuing an MSc in Raw Materials Value Chain at AGH University of Science and Technology, Poland, under the EU’s RAVEN Program, enhancing his expertise in circular economy and resource utilization.
A UNESCO/Poland Engineering Fellow and alumnus of the Climate Vulnerable Forum Fellowship, he has published three books in Afaan Oromoo and over ten academic and policy articles. His work emphasizes Indigenous knowledge systems, pastoralist adaptation, and sustainable water management. Internationally recognized, he has spoken at global forums and received the ICPAC Climate Advocacy Award (2025).

Dr. Hayat Khan is currently serving as an Associate Professor at the School of International Governance Innovations, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China. He holds Ph.D. in Economics from Guangxi University, China and pursued post doctorate in theoretical Economics at the China Center for Special Economic Zone Research, Shenzhen University, China. In addition to his academic career, he is the Chief Editor of four international journals and the Founder and CEO of the Global Scientific Research Publisher. He has authored over 60 research papers published in prestigious SCI and SSCI-indexed journals. His research interests include but not limited to environmental and energy economics, sustainability, international finance and trade, the global economy, and the digital economy. Dr. Khan also contributes internationally as a Ph.D. thesis evaluator for academic institutions in various countries.

Dr. Ali Riaz is a researcher specializing in meteorological big-data analytics and coastal hazard forecasting. He earned his Ph.D. in Computer Applied Technology from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). His work focuses on machine-learning and ensemble methods for quantitative prediction of tropical-cyclone-induced rainfall and storm surges, with applications to risk assessment and early warning along the South China coast. He has served as a reviewer for several earth and environmental science journals and has authored studies on probabilistic surge modeling, rainfall nowcasting, and hydrometeorological extremes. His broader interests include interpretable AI, uncertainty quantification, and translating forecasts into actionable resilience planning.

Dr. Prabhakar Shukla was born in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India. He earned his B.Tech. in Civil Engineering from Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Surat (2012), M.Tech. from the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (2014), and Ph.D. in Water Resources Management from Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad (2019). His research focuses on hydrological modelling, climate change, water sector vulnerability and risk assessments, and GIS applications in water resources management. Dr. Shukla has delivered talks at several international forums, including a Special Session at the United Nations Headquarters during the UN 2023 Water Conference. He has authored numerous research papers, technical notes, book chapters, and books, and serves on editorial boards and as a reviewer for SCI/SCOPUS-indexed journals. He is also an active member of professional bodies such as ASCE, IAHS, NGWA, ISDS, AAEES, and Engineers Australia. Currently, he is a Scientist with the UKRI GCRF Water Security and Sustainable Development Hub at IIT Delhi.