Countdown 2021

In 2019, Adelaide launched the Youth for Climate movement with Anuna De Wever, who organized school strikes for 20 weeks. Since then, the climate has become a daily concern for her. It has also changed her personally: the way she travels, eats, consumes... In October 2019, she will embark on a sailboat with some thirty young people en route to COP 25 to draw attention to alternative modes of transport. In early 2020, she begins an internship at the European Parliament. Later that year, she accepted a position as special advisor to European Commission Vice-President Timmermans. With the health situation, she has been very active in organizing webinars and disseminating information on social networks. Together with other activists, she ensures that the climate emergency is not forgotten, taking this message to meetings with politicians such as Ursula Von Der Leyen, Angela Merkel, Emmanuel Macron and others.

Anne trained as an engineer. After a career in the private sector, she took over the management of Axedis, an adapted work company, in 2015. The 170 disabled workers she works with every day have convinced her that difference is an asset and that everyone has a place in society. She is keenly aware of the impact of climate change and the urgent need to take radical action now. We need to accelerate, but without leaving anyone behind.

Audrey Speyer is a designer-researcher and founder of PuriFungi, which uses myco-remediation as an innovative method of fungal decontamination of cigarette butts. The butts are digested by the fungi, and a new material is born from the combination of butts and mycelium. This myco-material possesses numerous properties (fire and water resistance, mechanical absorption and carbon sequestration during production), creating new resources for diverse applications such as ashtrays, insulating panels and packaging.

Célia Sapart is a Swiss climatologist, specializing in greenhouse gas emissions and historical climate reconstructions. After 13 years of academic research, including several long expeditions to the polar regions, Célia is now on the front line of climate action as Director of Communications and Climate Science at CO2 Value Europe. This European non-profit organization promotes the development of a circular carbon economy to "decarbonize" industry and meet the EU's emissions targets.

Stefaan De Rynck heads the European Commission Representation in Belgium, bridging the gap between the EU executive and Belgian politics and society. His experience in European affairs and public policy covers transport, sustainable urban development, financial services regulation and the single market. From 2016 to 2021, he was lead advisor on the Brexit negotiations led by Michel Barnier. De Rynck also teaches EU governance at the University of Leuven (KUL).