The New York Times has announced the first speaker lineup for The New York Times Climate Hub. The ambitious week of programming will feature live journalism and thought leadership on climate change to be held alongside the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, this November.

ICC Member, Summerhouse Media is the event management partner to the New York Times Climate Hub. Led by local business leader Louise Hunter, who has also been responsible for stakeholder outreach and curation of the community Open House Day.  Louise commented “this is the culmination of a nine-year relationship with The New York Times.

“Climate Hub has been designed to bring together climate experts, business leaders, policymakers and the very best of NYT journalism.  There are roles for those in arts and culture, grassroots community and education too.  Debates and workshops, film screenings and much more will also feature.

“Summerhouse is proud to play a significant role in bringing Climate Hub to life.  COP26 is undoubtedly the most important meeting of its kind and the eyes of the world will be on Scotland.

“It is important to remember that Climate Change affects every single one of us and if Climate Hub goes some way to answer one of the NYT’s biggest questions – ‘How do we adapt and thrive in a changing world?’ then the many challenges we have faced in producing this event will be incredibly worthwhile”.

Headline speakers including co-founder of Malala Fund, Malala Yousafzai, chair of The Elders Mary Robinson, artist Oliver Jeffers, author and philosopher Roman Krznaric and fashion designer and founder Stella McCartney will join more than 150 contributors including leading climate strategists, innovators and leaders of the industry, alongside journalists from The New York Times who will host lectures, discussions and workshops as part of the program, ranging from community and policy action to the impact of individual efforts on climate change.

Featured speakers, contributors and panellists will include:

• Rebecca Blumenstein, Deputy Managing Editor, The New York Times
• Hannah Fairfield, Climate Editor, The New York Times
• Rebecca Henderson, Professor, Harvard Business School
• Ban Ki-moon, Former Secretary-General, United Nations
• Rt. Hon. David Lammy, Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)
• Kumi Naidoo, Human Rights Activist and Speaker on Environmental Justice
• Varshini Prakash, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Sunrise
• Johan Rockström, Director, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
• Vanessa Nakate, Climate Justice Activist
• Somini Sengupta, International Climate Reporter, The New York Times
• Nigel Topping, U.K. High-Level Champion for Climate Action, COP26

Other speakers announced include Andreas Ahrens, Matthew Anderson, Aya Chebbi, Ertharin Cousin, Asha de Vos, Jerome Foster II, Lisa Friedman, Thomas Friedman, Vanessa Friedman, Ignacio Galán, Ilham Kadri, Rachel Kyte, Mark Landler, Mindy Lubber, Mariana Mazzucato, Gonzalo Muñoz, Laxman Narasimhan, Maria Neira, Luisa Neubauer, Mads Nipper, Elizabeth Nyeko, Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, Bertrand Piccard, Brad Plumer, Kate Raworth, Jacqueline Savitz, Andrew Scott, Kim Severson, Sam Sifton, Leah Thomas, Peter Vanacker, Máximo Vedoya and Katharine Wilkinson.

Louise Hunter of SummerHouse Media

The nine-day program will be organized around captivating communal spaces housed within the SWG3 complex including The Forum, where guests will hear from the most innovative minds in business, and The Think Tank, which will bring the unique journalistic lens of The New York Times to a series of plenary talks, debates and high-profile exchanges, bringing audiences into live journalism discussions and hands-on workshops.

Climate editor for The New York Times Hannah Fairfield said the ambition of the event was the first of its kind to bring live Times journalism to a global audience.

“The New York Times has a long history of deeply reported climate-focused journalism and we are publishing more coverage than ever before. For nine days in November, our Climate desk will bring together the biggest news and developments from COP26 alongside live journalism onstage and online from The New York Times Climate Hub. We’ll be offering live journalism to help audiences understand the geopolitics of climate change, technology and the green transition, climate innovation and education.”

Johan Rockström, director of Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, who will join The New York Times Climate Hub as a speaker, said

“Whether we succeed or fail in delivering the Paris climate target of holding the 1.5°C line is no longer about phasing out fossil fuels. It is about our ability to safeguard the resilience of the living biosphere and transforming the world’s food systems. The good news is that we have the solutions.”

Climate justice activist Vanessa Nakate, who will be a speaker at The New York Times Climate Hub, said:

“We need to get behind solutions that we know will work, and that will work right now. We can all do something; we can rewrite the story. My hope lies in the millions of young people who are speaking up and demanding action.”

The New York Times Climate Hub will offer visitors an expansive space to network and socialize, set alongside world-class climate photography, documentary screenings and performances, with two bars and dining options across three floors.

The New York Times Climate Hub is supported by presenting sponsors Morgan Stanley and Siemens Energy.

The New York Times Climate Hub will open to the public from Wednesday, Nov. 3, to Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021. Tickets will go on sale in the coming weeks. Register for ticket access and program updates at nytclimatehub.com.