SACREDGROUND

Architect of the Paris Climate Agreement

CHRISTIANA FIGUERES

Christiana Figueres is one of the defining voices of our era's response to climate change—a diplomat whose unwavering optimism helped transform global division into collective purpose. As Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, she guided years of complex international negotiations that culminated in the landmark Paris Agreement, bringing nearly every nation on Earth together around a shared commitment to protect the future of the planet.

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Raised in Costa Rica and grounded in the belief that hope is a discipline rather than a feeling, Figueres has devoted her life to demonstrating that meaningful progress is born not from certainty, but from courage, persistence, and collaboration. Through her continued work with Global Optimism, she invites leaders, communities, and citizens alike to imagine what is possible when humanity chooses cooperation over complacency. Her legacy is not simply one of diplomacy, but of reminding the world that even its greatest challenges can become catalysts for renewal.

Professor, New York University

TIMON McPHEARSON

Timon McPhearson is an urban ecologist whose work challenges us to see cities not as places apart from nature, but as living ecosystems capable of renewal. As a professor at New York University and a leading voice in urban resilience, he explores how science, design, and human ingenuity can transform the places we call home into landscapes that are healthier, more adaptable, and more deeply connected to the natural world.

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Bridging ecology, climate science, and the lived experience of city life, McPhearson's research reveals that the future of our planet will be shaped as much by our neighborhoods as by our wilderness. His work reminds us that resilience is not simply the ability to endure change—it is the capacity to evolve through it. By reimagining cities as places where people and nature can thrive together, he offers a hopeful vision of communities that are stronger, more equitable, and better prepared for the challenges of a changing climate.

Author & Climate Journalist 

DAVID WALLACE-WELLS

David Wallace-Wells is a journalist and author whose writing has helped reshape the public conversation about climate change by bringing its human stakes into sharp focus. Through rigorous reporting and vivid storytelling, he explores not only the science of a warming world, but the moral, political, and cultural choices that will determine how we respond to it. His work challenges readers to confront uncomfortable truths while insisting that the future has not yet been written.

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As the author of The Uninhabitable Earth, Wallace-Wells has become one of the most influential voices interpreting the climate crisis for a global audience. His perspective is grounded in the belief that understanding the scale of the challenge is not an invitation to despair, but a call to responsibility. By illuminating both the risks we face and the agency we still possess, he reminds us that history is shaped not only by the forces that confront us, but by the choices we make in response.