How do we build a future where no one is left behind?

Climate change doesn’t “only” melt ice caps, it deepens pre-existing inequalities across societies. This means that structurally excluded groups are often the first to suffer and the last ones to receive support. As we are examining these struggles against the backdrop of shrinking civic space and rising authoritarianism it becomes clear that neither apocalyptic climate change, nor suffering in isolation are inevitable. The time to forge an unbreakable alliance between those working towards sustainable, just and diverse societies is now.

This panel brings together visionary artists, activists, and young scientists to share their work and vision for this world – ranging from community-based initiatives via creative disobedience, public protest and dialogue, to regional and international forums championing conservation, gender and climate justice.

Panelists:

MaryV Kyoseva, Rainbow Eco Activists (REA), Bulgaria: MaryV Kyoseva is an ecologist and the founder of Rainbow Eco Activists (REA), a Sofia-based grassroots initiative that uses science communication to dismantle cis-heteronormative biases and demonstrate that queerness is a natural part of the ecosystem. Through bilingual narratives, she bridges the gap between complex ecological concepts and public understanding to foster representation and environmental justice.

Antonina van Lier is an artist, cultural practitioner, and co-director of Artcom Platform, a women-led grassroots collective of artists, researchers, and curators based in Kazakhstan. Working at the intersection of contemporary art, ecology, and community engagement, Artcom develops feminist and decolonial practices rooted in the steppe and lake ecologies, as well as the nomadic knowledge systems of Central Asia. The collective understands artists as agents of transformation and art as a powerful means of responding to the climate crisis, generating public knowledge, and fostering solidarity, ecological justice, and care for memory and future generations.

Antonina is also co-initiator of Care for Balkhash, an interdisciplinary initiative dedicated to developing community-based infrastructures of care for Lake Balkhash and its ecosystems through artistic research, public programmes, fieldwork, and collaborations with local communities, scientists, and cultural practitioners for sustainable and just futures.

Frida Paes Leao, Fossil Free Culture NL (FFFCNL), Netherlands/Portugal: Frida Paes Leao is a multidisciplinary artist and co-founder of Fossil Free Culture NL, a collective that employs creative disobedience and unsolicited art performances to challenge the fossil fuel industry’s social legitimacy. Frida’s work spans film, photography, and performance to advocate for a future that is sustainable, feminist, anti-racist, queer, and decolonial.

Kiara Titze, Spain/Ecuador/Austria, Austrian Commission for UNESCO Kiara Titze is the Youth Representative for Social and Environmental Transformation at the Austrian Commission for UNESCO. With an academic background in Environmental Science, she works at the intersection of environmental policy, climate action, and LGBTQIA+ rights. Her work focuses on community organizing, youth leadership, and advocacy in international spaces, including the UN Commission on the Status of Women. Born in Ecuador and raised across Europe, Kiara brings a global and intersectional perspective to her commitment to gender and environmental justice.

Moderator:

Julia Scharinger works on the intersections of Gender, Conflict and Climate Change together with Ljubljana Pride and as co-founder of trans:verse, a queer-feminist consultancy dedicated to gender and conflict transformation.