Sven Egenter
editor-in-chief Clean Energy Wire
Louise Sarant
freelance journalist
Bel Trew
The Independent
Wim Zwijnenburg
humanitarian disarmament project leader PAX
This panel of leading journalists and experts, who cover the Middle East and beyond, will cast a rare light on a part of journalism that despite focusing on one of most critical subjects, the environment, has for so many decades been sidelined or ignored.
Our environmental impact on our planet is not just going to destroy the lives of our descendants if drastic action is not taken but is already causing conflict right now, and will do for our children. The United Nations' first ever comprehensive report on climate change released in October 2018 argued we are the last generation to be able to combat catastrophic global warming, and we need to make "unprecedented changes" to save ourselves. Despite this, environmental reporting has always occupied the back pages of papers, or been relegated to soft TV features. Until now.
This panel will take a hard look at how damage to our environments is driving real conflict and social change today - from Isis's scorched earth tactics leading to more recruitment, to fights over water sources potentially threatening long-standing peace agreements. The panel will argue environmental journalism has never been more important.
And that if nothing changes, if nothing is learnt, if reporting is not taken seriously, our next wars will be over resources like water.
