About

Sylvia Earle is an oceanographer, explorer, and lecturer, recognized for her pioneering research and leadership in ocean conservation. She is President and Chairman of Mission Blue and The Sylvia Earle Alliance, and serves as Explorer in Residence at the National Geographic Society. She formerly served as Chief Scientist of the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (1990-1992). Her contributions have been honored with more than 150 awards and honors, including being named "Her Deepness" by The New Yorker and The New York Times, "Living Legend" by the Library of Congress, and the first "Hero for the Planet" by Time Magazine. Sylvia Earle is also a Voice of Commons Ambassador. She was born at 311 parts per million carbon dioxide in the Atmosphere.

Johan Rockström is an internationally recognized scientist on global sustainability issues and led the development of the Planetary Boundaries framework for human development in the current era of rapid global change. Johan is the Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Professor in Earth System Science at the University of Potsdam and Professor in Water Systems and Global Sustainability at the Stockholm University. He is the Chair of the Earth Commission, the Earth League, Chief Scientist of Conservation International, and an elected member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, and a Voice of Commons Ambassador. Johan was born at 320 parts per million carbon dioxide in the Atmosphere.

Xiye Bastida is a climate justice activist, Indigenous rights advocate, and storyteller. Through her Otomi roots, she champions Indigenous wisdom and principles as a solution for the climate crisis. She was an organizer with Fridays For Future and is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Re-Earth Initiative an international youth-led organization that supports frontline youth across 27 countries. Xiye received the 2018 UN Spirit Award and was named TIME100 Next in 2023. She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Environmental Studies and Policy.  Xiye was born at 373.15 parts per million carbon dioxide in the Atmosphere.

Simonetta Cheli is a leading expert in Earth Observation and Space policy, serving as Director of Earth Observation Programmes at the European Space Agency (ESA) and Head of ESA-ESRIN in Frascati, Italy. With over 30 years at ESA, she leads strategy formulation, satellite development, in-orbit operations, and data distribution. She oversees a team of 900+ staff across six ESA sites. Cheli collaborates with global stakeholders, including space agencies, industries, and scientific communities, and manages key programs like Copernicus with the European Commission and EUMETSAT. As ESA’s representative in Italy, she also serves as a spokesperson at international forums. Cheli holds degrees in Law and Economics from Yale University, Political Science from the University 'Cesare Alfieri' in Florence, and a Diploma of Advanced Studies from the Centre d'Etudes Diplomatiques et Stratégiques in Paris. Simonetta is a Member of the Voice of Commons Advisory Council. She was born at 319 parts per million carbon dioxide in the Atmosphere.

Carlo Barbante is a climate scientist and Professor at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, and the Founder and former Director of the Institute of Polar Sciences at the National Research Council (CNR). He has led extensive research in climate and environmental reconstructions, developing innovative analytical methods in environmental and biological sciences. Barbante has taken part in numerous expeditions in Antarctica and the Alps, coordinating several national and international research projects, including Beyond Epica. He teaches Earth’s Climate at the Ca’ Foscari-Harvard Summer School and received an Advanced Grant from the European Research Council to investigate pre-industrial anthropogenic climate impacts. He was a visiting professor at the Accademia dei Lincei (2012-2014) and is an elected member and vice president of the Academy of Sciences (XL) and Secretary of the Science Class at the Veneto Institute of Sciences, Letters, and Arts. A science communicator, he authored Scritto nel Ghiaccio and is a Member of the Voice of Commons Advisory Council. Carlo was born at 319 parts per million carbon dioxide in the Atmosphere.

Markus Reymann is a curator and cultural strategist focused on Ocean and ecological issues. He is Co-Director of TBA21 (Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary), an international art and advocacy foundation established by Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza. Reymann leads TBA21’s interdisciplinary initiatives, fostering collaboration between art, science, policy, and conservation. These efforts result in new commissions, knowledge, and policies developed with global partners including universities, NGOs, museums, and research institutes. In 2011, he co-founded TBA21–Academy, the foundation’s research arm dedicated to deepening understanding of the Ocean and broader ecologies through transdisciplinary inquiry, artistic production, and environmental advocacy. He has led numerous expeditions aboard the research vessel Dardanella, bringing together artists, curators, scientists, and thinkers to conduct cross-disciplinary fieldwork and create site-informed projects. Markus also serves as Chair of the Alligator Head Foundation, TBA21–Academy’s scientific partner, which manages the East Portland Fish Sanctuary and operates a marine wet lab in Jamaica, and he is a Member of the Advisory Council of Voice of Commons. He was born at 329 parts per million carbon dioxide in the Atmosphere.

Martin Frick is a climate policy expert and diplomat known for his 25 years of leadership in global climate governance and sustainable development. He is a Member of the Executive Committee of the Club of Rome, and the co-founder of COPx. Martin was operationally in charge of the UN Secretary-General‘s Food System Summit 2021. As Senior Director of UN Climate Change (2017-2021), he oversaw the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the Secretariat’s Climate Action work. Prior to that Martin led the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ work on Climate Change (2015-2017), and served as Germany’s Ambassador to the United Nations in Bonn, helping establish the UN Sustainability Hub. He coined the concept of climate justice as Programme Director of Kofi Annan’s Global Humanitarian Forum and received multiple awards for his work on climate justice and food security, bridging diplomacy, policy, and innovation to address the climate crisis at systemic levels. Martin is a key Advisor of Voice of Commons. He was born at 329 parts per million carbon dioxide in the Atmosphere.

Eva Franch i Gilabert is an internationally acclaimed architect, curator, educator, and researcher, widely known for her radical and visionary approach to architecture, cultural institutions, and public engagement. She is a professor at UMPRUM and co-founder of MODEL, Barcelona’s forward-thinking Architecture Festival. She previously served as Director of the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London and as Chief Curator at Storefront for Art and Architecture in New York City. Her diverse practice spans exhibitions, theoretical manifestos, and public lectures that challenge entrenched boundaries of design, governance, and spatial politics - articulating global ambitions through hyper-local narratives and speculative futures. Eva is a member of the Voice of Commons Advisory Council. She was born at 335 parts per million carbon dioxide in the Atmosphere.

Francesca Bria is an innovation economist working at the intersection of technology, geopolitics, and society. She is an Honorary Professor at the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose at UCL in London, led by Mariana Mazzucato, and a Senior Fellow at Stiftung Mercator in Berlin, where she leads the EuroStack Initiative on Europe’s Digital Sovereignty. Francesca also serves as an advisor to the European Commission and is a member of the High-Level Round Table for the New European Bauhaus established by EC President Ursula von der Leyen to accelerate the EU green transition. Additionally, she is a member of the Spanish International Council on Artificial Intelligence, established by PM Pedro Sánchez. Previously, Francesca was President of the Italian National Innovation Fund (CDP Venture Capital) and a Board Member of Italy’s public media company RAI. From 2015 to 2019, she served as the Chief Digital Technology and Innovation Officer for the City of Barcelona, where she led the Barcelona Smart City Agenda and digital democracy experiments. She co-founded the United Nations Cities Coalition for Digital Rights and founded DECODE—the EU flagship project on data sovereignty in Europe.
She was born at 334 parts per million carbon dioxide in the Atmosphere.

Jessy Kate Schingler is a Legal Fellow at Earth Law Center and following the apprenticeship pathway to becoming a solicitor in the UK. She is also part of the board memeber of Open Lunar, an independent nonprofit organisation operating globally to create a peaceful, self-sustaining presence on the Moon, and co- founders of Planet Labs a publicly trading American Earth imaging company based in San Francisco, California. Jessy Kate was born at 340 parts per million carbon dioxide in the Atmosphere. 

Klaus Dodds is Professor of Geopolitics at Royal Holloway University of London. He has visited the Arctic and Antarctic on many occasions and is an Honorary
Fellow for British Antarctic Survey. Dodds worked as a specialist adviser for the UK Parliament. His latest book is with Mia Bennett and entitled Unfrozen (Yale University Press 2025). Klaus was born at 324 parts per million carbon dioxide in the Atmosphere. 

Patricia Urquiola is an architect and designer, currently serving as creative director of Cassina. She founded her multidisciplinary studio in Milan in 2001, specializing in industrial product design, architecture, art direction, and strategy consulting. Patricia began her career with Vico Magistretti at De Padova and later headed design at Lissoni & Partners, having studied at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and the Politecnico di Milano under the mentorship of renowned designer Achille Castiglioni. Her work is held in major collections, including MoMA, the Triennale Museum, the Vitra Design Museum, and the Victoria & Albert Museum. In 2024, she was appointed as a member of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando and awarded Spain’s Gold Medal of Merit in Fine Arts. Patricia is a Member of the Voice of Commons Advisory Council. Patricia was born at 318 parts per million carbon dioxide in the Atmosphere.