The ICRS Debate 2026: People Over Planet

The ICRS Debate 2026: People Over Planet. 

The past three years have been the warmest on record, with research showing that the world is on track for a devastating 2.6C temperature rise by 2100 (CAT). In 2024, over 10% of the world’s population was living in extreme poverty, which is defined as less than $3 USD per day (ILO). These truths beg the question: in a world of finite resources and short-term pressures, should climate remain the top global priority - or should we redirect efforts toward immediate human-centred challenges?  

When push comes to shove, should sustainability leaders prioritise human welfare or climate action? Does it even matter which comes first? The ICRS Debate 2026 will shed light on this complex topic and unpack how these two priorities are both competing but also deeply intertwined.  

Join us on April 28th 2026, 14:00 - 17:00PM  at the RSA in London.

Confirmed Speakers 

Hear from:

Ryan Henson

Ryan is Chief Executive Officer at the Coalition for Global Prosperity, working to ensure the UK remains at the forefront of alleviating poverty and bringing freedom, security, and prosperity to those who need it most. Ryan also serves as a UK Government Social Mobility Commissioner, and is an Associate Fellow at Bright Blue, an independent centre-right think tank. Prior to joining the Coalition, he worked for the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development, the Ministry of Justice, the Cabinet Office, and was a founding trustee of a social mobility charity.

Ryan holds a first-class BA in History, and an MA in Modern and Contemporary British History, awarded via full academic scholarship, both from Queen Mary, University of London where he is undertaking a PhD.

Dimitri Zenghelis

Dimitri Zenghelis is a Partner at consultancy Independent Economics. He is also an Associate of the Bennett School, University of Cambridge and a Senior Visiting Fellow at the Grantham Research Institute, London School of Economics. He is a Senior Associate at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership and is Chair of the Responsible Wealth Committee at Capital Generation Partners.

He was until recently Head of Policy at the Grantham Research Institute at the LSE and Acting Chief Economist for the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate. Previously, Dimitri headed the Stern Review Team at the Office of Climate Change, London, and was a lead author on the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change, commissioned by the then Chancellor Gordon Brown and was a Senior Economic Advisor to Cisco's long-term innovation group. Before working on climate change, Dimitri was Head of Economic Forecasting at HM Treasury, providing regular briefings to the Chancellor Gordon Brown and Prime Minister Tony Blair.

He advises governments, financial institutions and international organisations, including the UN, World Bank and regional development banks, the Mayor of London and the UK Committee on Climate Change. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Science, a TEDx Speaker and corporate leadership trainer.

Eleanor Harry 

With 138 million children in Child Labour globally, Eleanor has a visionary approach to tackling the issue; using deep subject matter expertise, mixed with HACE's proprietaty data set on Child Labour to provide scalable solutions on Child Labour for companies and investors.

Eleanor’s mission as the Founder and CEO of HACE is to drive impactful change through collaborative ownership, empowering investors and companies to eliminate Child Labour. She has nearly 15 years of experience in the field, with extensive commodity-specific work in the cotton, fishing and ready-made garment industries.

Eleanor has contributed to international United Nations literature surrounding child labour and is a board member of ISO. She leads on the Child Labour standard for the Global Reporting Initiative, the International Sustainability Standards Board and led training with the UK government on how to integrate Child Labour into the Modern Slavery Act. She also lectures at the University of Cambridge and London College of Fashion.

HACE are a sustainability firm founded by experts in Child Labour and sustainable investment, dedicated to eradicating Child Labour from global supply chains.

Erica Mason 

Erica Mason is Head of Climate and Resilience at the British Red Cross, with over 15 years of international experience working at the intersection of humanitarian response and climate action. She specializes in supporting resilience-building efforts in fragile and conflict-affected contexts, with a strong focus on disaster risk reduction, climate finance, and locally driven adaptation.

Erica has recently advised the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, contributing to both policy development and the delivery of international climate finance, including the Resilience and Adaptation Fund highlighted in the UK’s 2023 White Paper. Her career also includes senior roles at Development Initiatives and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, where she led advocacy and policy engagement on global climate negotiations.

Holding Master’s degrees in Public Administration and in Science, Technology, and Innovation Studies, Erica brings both strategic insight and practical expertise to her work. She is a strong advocate for collaborative and inclusive approaches to addressing climate challenges and strengthening resilience worldwide.