Tara Shine is an expert in the field of climate change and climate justice, with a passion for communicating her science and her positive vision for the future.
Tara has advised world leaders, governments and civil society organisations on climate change, environmental policy and development assistance. Formerly a climate negotiator at the UN and Special Advisor to the Mary Robinson Foundation - Climate Justice and Adviser to the Elders, Tara is the incoming Chair of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED).
Tara is Co-Founder and Director of the award-winning social enterprise, Change by Degrees, which educates and inspires people at home, at work and in their community to live more sustainably. Tara’s book 'How to save your planet one object at a time’ was published by Simon and Schuster in April 2020, and is a guide to sustainable living told through everyday objects.Tara enjoys getting out into the wild to explore environmental issues first-hand.
At home in any location from the deserts of Mauritania to the rainforests of Borneo, Tara enjoys meeting people to hear their stories and experiences and to champion the solutions they need. Most recently she travelled to Antarctica with 90 women scientists as part of Homeward Bound, a global leadership programme for women in science which aims to find better ways to care for our global home. Tara is part of the visibility and science communications faculty for Homeward Bound.
Tara has presented TV programmes including ‘Brave new world’ with Stephen Hawking in 2011 and the BBC’s ‘Expedition Borneo’. Her discovery of Nile Crocodiles in West Africa was the subject of an acclaimed BBC 2 Natural World documentary, ‘Lost crocodiles of the pharaohs’. Most recently she presented ‘A wild Irish year’ and ‘Wild cities’ for RTE and ‘Our coast’ for BBC 2. She is a popular public speaker and has even tried her hand at stand-up comedy to communicate her message.
For sanity Tara escapes outdoors and swims in the sea any chance she gets.
