Welcome: Geopolitics of Sustainability 

Welcome and opening remarks were given by Lena Ek, Chair of the Mistra Geopolitics Board and Professor Björn-Ola Linnér, Director of Mistra Geopolitics.

Climate action in a turbulent geopolitical world

A keynote speech on future predictions for climate action in a time of geopolitical turmoil was given by Nick Maybe, CEO of the climate think tank E3G.

Sustainable visions for the future

How do we create sustainable visions for the future?

Featured speakers include Annika Markovic, Sweden’s Ambassador to Austria and Slovakia and permanent representative to the UN, Robert Egnell, Vice-Chancellor of the Swedish Defence University and Mistra Geopolitics Board member, Dan Smith, Director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

Artificial intelligence as a power shifter

How is AI and emerging technologies utilized to shift power and achieve the sustainable development goals?

Featured speakers include Henrik Carlsen, Co-Director of Mistra Geopolitics and Senior Research Fellow at SEI; Göran Marklund, Deputy Director General, Vinnova; Sylvia Schwaag Serger, President of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA) and Professor at Lund University; Fredrik Heintz, Professor of Computer Science at Linköping University and Maxine Leis, PhD Candidate at Uppsala University.

Towards a food secure world

How do geopolitics affect our food security?

Featured speakers include Sara Talebian, Research Fellow at SEI; Lisa Dellmuth, Professor of International Relations at Stockholm University; Helena Hansson, Program Director of Mistra Food Futures and Professor at SLU and Jiayi Zhou, Researcher at SIPRI.

Decarbonization dilemmas

Who are the winners and losers when we transform our societies?

Featured speakers include André Månberger, Senior Lecturer at Lund University; Daria Ivleva, Senior Advisor and Co-Lead Climate Policy at Adelphi, and Karin Bäckstrand, Professor in Environmental Social Science at Stockholm University.

Navigating security challenges in our oceans

How can we address security concerns and energy demands in our oceans?

Featured speakers include Karina Barquet, Senior Research Fellow and Team Leader for Water, Coasts and Ocean at SEI; Torsten Linders, Programme Director for Mistra Co-Creating Better Blue; Lina Kinning, Offshore Wind at the Swedish Wind Association; Hans Liwång, Professor at the Swedish Defence University; Mattias Rust, Deputy Director at the Swedish Ministry of Rural Affairs and Infrastructure; Magnus Wallhagen, National Hydrographer at the Swedish Maritime Administration and Chair of the IHO Technical Committee.

The topic session during the Geopolitics of Sustainability conference was moderated by Arati Davis, Senior Research Fellow and Business Lead for LeadIT at SEI, and Robert Watt,  Engagement Director at SEI.

The conference ended with a PhD poster exhibition created by seven PhD students from Mistra Geopolitics’ research school, who perform research through Mistra Geopolitics at Linköping, Stockholm, Uppsala and Lund University.

The conference was organised by Mistra Geopolitics and marks the conclusion of its eight-year research programme, which has involved research contributions from over 60 researchers and PhD students in Europe and Sweden.