Caty Arévalo Martinez
Journalist and communicator expert in environment
Caty Arévalo is a journalist and communicator expert in environment. For almost two decades she has covered the main events in this field at national and international level as environmental correspondent of the EFE Agency. In parallel, she has been a researcher and author of publications on climate change communication at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she was part of the Knight Science Journalism program in the 2013/14 academic year, and at the Reuters Institute of the University of Oxford. Her career in communication and dissemination of knowledge of environmental issues has been recognized, among others, with the BBVA Foundation Award for Biodiversity Conservation. rom 2018 to 2021 she led the communication of the Ministry for Ecological Transition, from where she contributed to promote the social debate on the need to move towards a new development model. She is currently an advisor to the Presidency of the Senate of Spain.
Matt McGrath
Environment correspondent for BBC News
Matt McGrath began his career working as a technology magazine editor. In 1997 he joined BBC Radio 5 as a science and technology specialist, and in 2006 he became the BBC's science and environment reporter, before taking up the position of environmental correspondent in 2012, which he continues to do today. Between 2010-2011, he spent time at the MIT after winning the Knight Science Journalism Fellowship, the most prestigious fellowship in the field of science and environmental journalism. As an environmental reporter, he has covered a wide range of topics, from the commercialisation of the first genetically modified foods to scientific reports and climate change summits, an issue he considers to be of utmost importance, along with the biodiversity crisis. His journalistic output, through online and TV channels, is a reference for millions of people around the world seeking rigorous information on global environmental issues. In 2019, he was awarded the first Biophilia Environmental Communication Award, conceived by the BBVA Foundation, for his exceptional contribution to improving public understanding and awareness of environmental challenges through his ability to communicate complex environmental.
When Vladimir Putin sent his tanks rolling into Ukraine, he probably didn’t expect his “special military operation” to threaten Russia’s future as a massive exporter of fossil fuels.
While every country in Europe is feeling the chilling effect of Russia’s invasion this winter, experts believe the coming 12 months will be key to tackling our long-term dependence on coal, oil and gas.
Yes, countries like Germany have boosted imports of LNG in the short term, while Spain is now burning far more natural gas.
But there is a renewed optimism that this year could be the tipping point for Europe’s move away from fossil energy.
So what happens next?
Journalists Caty Arevalo and Matt McGrath will consider the key steps that could make Europe’s energy future both greener and cleaner.
They will debate whether Putin will ultimately be seen as the man who freed Europe from fossil fuels!
