The Oxford Diplomatic Society will host a panel discussion on the role of Brazil in global environmental policy, offering unique perspectives from the fields of diplomacy, public policy, and natural sciences. The panel of experts, formed by diplomat Fernando Bastos, policy experts Julia Bussab Fonseca and Tony Gross, and biologist Rodrigo Alves, will look back on Rio 92 and the 2024 G20 Summit, comment on Lula’s foreign policy, and make predictions for COP30. Come learn how Brazilian leaders have been addressing the environmental cause in the age of climate change, what can be improved, and what’s at stake!
Fernando Bastos is the Head of the Environment, Climate and Energy Section of the Embassy of Brazil in London. He has previously served as First Secretary to the Brazilian Embassy in Egypt, where, in 2022, his work was instrumental for the Brazilian participation at COP27.
Julia Bussab Fonseca is a climate finance researcher and PhD candidate at the University of Sussex. With over a decade of experience in climate and sustainability consulting, Julia has worked with institutions such as the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Green Climate Fund (GCF), Greenpeace, and The Nature Conservancy (TNC). She also collaborates with the Brazil-China Business Council on aligning climate frameworks within bilateral trade relations.
Rodrigo Alves is a Brazilian scientist currently pursuing a PhD in Natural Sciences and Biotechnology at the Technical University of Graz, in Austria. Hailing from an indigenous community from Amazonas, he has dedicated over ten years of research and more than 25 research papers to the study of the effects of climate change on terrestrial environments and, more recently, on indigenous peoples across Europe.
Tony Gross is a British Brazilian social scientist. He has a forty-year involvement with sustainable development policy, research, and training. He has worked for UK aid and academic organisations, Brazilian governmental and non-governmental bodies alike, and the United Nations on issues relating to biodiversity, climate change and genetic resources, with a focus on environmental justice, sustainable livelihoods, and public participation.
