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Today, Åsa Persson steps down as a member of the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change to take up a position as Chief Scientist and Director of the Office of Science at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). 

Åsa Persson will take up her new role at UNEP in Nairobi on 12 October 2026 and has therefore requested to step down from the Advisory Board with effect from the end of this month. 

The Chair of the Advisory Board, Ottmar Edenhofer, commented: "We thank Åsa warmly for her contribution to the work of the Advisory Board during her time with us and we will greatly miss her. At the same time, we are pleased to see her take on this important new role, and I wish her the very best." 

She joined the Advisory Board at the start of its second mandate in March 2026, bringing extensive experience in climate governance, sustainability transitions and policy coherence, including from her academic position at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology’s Climate Action Centre and her role as Chair of the Swedish Climate Policy Council.  

Åsa Persson commented: "Although my time as a member of the Advisory Board has been relatively short, I value the chance to have worked alongside such a distinguished group of experts. I now look forward to continuing to contribute to the global climate and environment agenda in my new role at UNEP." 

The procedure for designating a new Advisory Board member to replace Åsa Persson will be initiated in October 2026, with the Management Board of the European Environment Agency (EEA) aiming to designate a new member at its meeting in December 2026. 

The current members of the Advisory Board were appointed by the EEA Management Board in December 2025 for the Board’s second four-year mandate (2026-2030). The Advisory Board will continue its work in accordance with its 2026 Work Programme.