TV presenter, physicist and oceanographer to explore the links between resources, climate and the natural world at 2026 ISWA World Congress in London.
Helen Czerski will deliver a keynote address at the 2026 ISWA World Congress in London this November, exploring the vital role of the resources and waste sector in addressing some of the world’s biggest environmental challenges.
Czerski will use her keynote to examine the impact human activity is having on nature and the climate, and how better management of resources can support resource resilience, protect natural ecosystems and help society operate within planetary boundaries.
The keynote will form part of the three-day 2026 ISWA World Congress, hosted by CIWM at the QEII Centre in London from 9 to 11 November.
Returning to the UK for the first time in 30 years, the Congress will bring together around 1,200 international professionals from more than 50 countries to examine the major challenges and opportunities facing the global resources and waste sector.
Helen Czerski is a physicist and oceanographer and one of the UK’s best-known science communicators.
The challenges around waste and resources cannot be separated from the bigger questions facing our planet.
She is a regular TV presenter, the co-host of the climate and environment radio programme Rare Earth, and has presented numerous television programmes exploring physics, the oceans and the natural world.
Her books include Storm in a Teacup and Blue Machine: How the Ocean Shapes Our World, which won the 2024 Wainwright Prize for Conservation Writing.
Commenting on the announcement, Sarah Poulter, Chief Executive of CIWM, said: “Helen has an exceptional ability to make complex scientific and environmental issues accessible, engaging and relevant to people’s everyday lives.”
“The challenges around waste and resources cannot be separated from the bigger questions facing our planet. Bringing Helen’s perspective to the Congress will help us make those connections and challenge us to think more widely about the role our sector can play in creating a more sustainable future.”
Czerski joins an international line-up of speakers that includes Janez Potočnik, former European Commissioner for the Environment and Co-Chair of the International Resource Panel, widely regarded as one of the world’s foremost advocates for the circular economy.
The Congress will feature more than 200 speakers and 120 technical sessions covering issues including the circular economy, climate finance, extended producer responsibility, plastics, behaviour change, infrastructure, skills and the development of more resilient resource systems.
The 2026 ISWA World Congress takes place at the QEII Centre, London, from 9 to 11 November.
For further information and to register, visit the 2026 ISWA World Congress website.
