Matt Winning Keynote Speaker

Dr Matt Winning is a Scottish-born climate economist and award-winning stand-up whose work fuses data, wit and urgency. A Lecturer in Economics of Sustainability at University College London (2018–present), he has spent more than 16 years modelling decarbonisation pathways and advising on climate policy. His research has been cited by the IPCC and the UK’s Climate Change Committee .

Away from academia, he reaches global audiences through his acclaimed book Hot Mess: What on Earth Can We Do About Climate Change? (Headline, 2021). Blending pop-culture analogies with robust science, the book was praised by Adam Kay as “very funny, important and only moderately terrifying.” The same playful rigour underpins his keynote storytelling on stage .

Winning also writes and presents for broadcast. He created and hosts the BBC Radio 4 series Net Zero: A Very British Problem (2022–), co-hosts the podcast Operation Earth, and delivered a widely shared TEDx talk on using humour to tackle climate anxiety. He has appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe every year since 2017 and performed climate-comedy sets during COP26 in Glasgow .

On the speaking circuit, Matt decodes the economics of net-zero, carbon pricing and sustainable lifestyles with clarity, relatability and plenty of laughs. Whether briefing corporate leaders, public-sector teams or student activists, he equips audiences with evidence-based actions and fresh motivation to drive climate solutions—proving that saving the planet doesn’t have to feel like the end of the world.