The Climate Crisis Advisory Group (CCAG) today announces that two globally renowned climate experts have joined the group. Dr Guido Schmidt-Traub and Professor Mercedes Bustamante join the fifteen current members as they seek to drive climate action as part of its two year strategy in the run up to COP30 in Brazil.
Dr Guido Schmidt-Traub is a highly respected economist and managing partner at system change company Systemiq, bringing a rich background spanning both academia and policy. He served as founding Executive Director of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, a global initiative that operates under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General to support the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement.
He is also a board member of WaterAid, Global Citizen Europe, and Friends Europe of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.
Distinguished biologist Professor Mercedes Bustamante has also rejoined the Group after a year serving in the Brazilian government. During this time, she was the President of Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES - a Foundation within the Ministry of Education aimed at improving the quality of Brazil’s faculty and staff in higher education through grant programs.
Professor Bustamante is well-known for her contributions to the ecological knowledge of threatened tropical ecosystems and their interactions with human-induced changes. She has participated in high-level national and international research groups and panels, and is an elected member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences and The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS).
Professor Bustamante was re-appointed to strengthen the Group’s Brazilian footprint ahead of COP30 in Brazil.
Dr Guido Schmidt-Traub, managing partner at Systemiq and member of the Climate Crisis Advisory Group, said: “I’m thrilled and honoured to become a member of the Climate Crisis Advisory Group as it ramps up its efforts to put science at the heart of climate action.
“Policymakers and other decision makers need sharp, action-based advice that looks holistically at solving the climate crisis, and CCAG’s wide range of expertise, in an unrivalled amount of climate disciplines, puts it in a position to do just that.”
Professor Mercedes Bustamante, Professor at the University of Brasilia and member of the Climate Crisis Advisory Group, commented: “It’s a pleasure to return to my position among my esteemed colleagues in the Climate Crisis Advisory Group. As our work continues in the lead up to COP30 in Brazil, it’s never been more important to have Brazilian voices at the forefront of conversations safeguarding the Amazon and creating a safe future for all.”
