Karen Bakker (6 December 1971 – 14 August 2023)[1] was a Canadian author, researcher, and entrepreneur known for her work on digital transformation, environmental governance, and sustainability.

[16] Her advisory roles have also included the IPCC, National Round Table on Environment and Economy, OECD, UNDP, UNEP, UNESCO, and OHCHR.

[17][18] Bakker was a member of the Decolonizing Water research collective[19] and the Riverhood project team (funded by the EU),[20] as well as the Coalition on Digital Environmental Sustainability,[21] and the Policy Network on Environment of the Internet Governance Forum.

[10] Bakker's Smart Earth project engaged with two of the most destabilizing, controversial trends of our time: digital transformation and global environmental change.

[25] Smart Earth brings together researchers, educators, and policymakers to study environmental knowledge and seeks to better understand the complex relationships between humans and nature.

[28] In October 2022, Bakker published her book: The Sounds of Life: How Digital Technology is Bringing Us Closer to the Worlds of Animals and Plants (Princeton University Press).

[38] Writing under her nom de plume, Karen Le Billon, Bakker wrote two popular science books on children, food, and families.