Ron Garan

Ron Garan is a former NASA astronaut, humanitarian and founder of Fragile Oasis who transforms how leaders approach global challenges through what he calls the "orbital perspective". Having spent 178 days aboard the International Space Station completing 2,842 orbits of Earth, plus four spacewalks and 18 days living in the world's only undersea research laboratory, he uniquely combines extreme environment experience with social enterprise expertise. As keynote speaker at Net Zero Week 2026 and advisor to Nobel Peace Laureate Muhammad Yunus, Ron equips organisations with systems thinking and cross-sector collaboration strategies that drive meaningful progress on climate action, innovation and planetary responsibility.

During 178 days aboard the International Space Station, Ron Garan completed 2,842 orbits of Earth and four spacewalks, an experience that fundamentally reshaped his understanding of leadership, collaboration and humanity's shared responsibility for the planet. That vantage point, where the atmosphere protecting all life appears paper-thin, became the foundation for what he calls the "orbital perspective", a framework for systems thinking that now guides his work as a humanitarian, entrepreneur and advocate for global climate action. His journey from decorated fighter pilot and test pilot to astronaut, aquanaut and social innovator reflects a career defined by pushing boundaries in service of solving the world's most pressing challenges.

Ron's credentials span extreme environments and social impact at scale. He flew on both the US Space Shuttle and Russian Soyuz spacecraft, and spent 18 continuous days living and working in Aquarius, the world's only undersea research laboratory, during the joint NASA-NOAA NEEMO-9 mission. Beyond his NASA career, he founded Manna Energy Ltd, the first organisation to successfully register a United Nations Clean Development Mechanism carbon credit programme for water treatment, ultimately delivering the largest privately operated water treatment intervention ever conducted, serving four million people in Kenya. He also founded Fragile Oasis, an initiative designed to harness the orbital perspective to inspire tangible improvements to life on Earth. As technical and scientific adviser to Nobel Peace Laureate Muhammad Yunus and the Social Business movement, Ron has championed the principle that appropriately designed social enterprise can address many of the problems facing humanity. His influence extends through a social media following of over four million and his acclaimed book, *The Orbital Perspective*, which explores how seeing Earth from space changes everything.

As keynote speaker at Net Zero Week 2026, Ron equips leaders with the tools to think systemically and collaborate across sectors in pursuit of credible decarbonisation. His presentations connect the fragility witnessed from orbit to the urgency of climate leadership on the ground, offering audiences practical strategies rooted in cross-sector partnership and planetary responsibility. Whether speaking to policymakers, business leaders or sustainability professionals, Ron transforms abstract environmental challenges into actionable pathways, helping organisations understand that solving global problems requires the same collaborative mindset that keeps astronauts alive in space. His work leaves audiences with a renewed sense of purpose, clarity on how their decisions impact the wider system, and the confidence to lead meaningful progress toward a sustainable future.