Climate Change & Business Conference Marks 15th Anniversary With Biggest Event Yet

New Zealand’s leading and longest running annual Climate Change and Business Conference is set to bring to life critical discussions in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland next week around what is needed to secure the country’s net zero future.

Delivered in partnership between the Environmental Defence Society (EDS), Sustainable Business Council (SBC) and Climate Leaders Coalition (CLC), the long-standing event celebrates its 15th anniversary this year and will see more than 600 people gather at the Viaduct Events Centre - making it the largest conference yet.

This year’s programme takes a particular focus on identifying effective adaptation pathways, a highly relevant theme given 2023’s severe weather events, as well as maintaining the momentum on achieving real emission reductions at pace.

Other critical topics of discussion include the role of the Emissions Trading Scheme, biodiversity, our journey to electrification, agriculture, and how we are financing the transition.

The Ministry for the Environment is continuing its longstanding role as Foundation Sponsor for the conference.

"Climate change affects us all - our whānau, our communities and our businesses," James Palmer, the Ministry’s Chief Executive and Secretary for the Environment, says.

"Finding solutions to reduce our emissions and to help our communities become more resilient means working together. The Climate Change and Business Conference is an opportunity for people to learn from each other and make connections."

Westpac NZ is also continuing to support the event as a Foundation Sponsor. Westpac Head of Sustainability Belinda van Eyndhoven says the conference gives industry leaders the chance to "share knowledge, come up with new ideas, and collaborate on action".

"It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by what is happening in the world, but cooperation and innovation can make a difference," Mrs van Eyndhoven says.

"The increasingly extreme and frequent weather events we’ve seen both here and abroad are a wake-up call to all of us. But humans are extremely adaptable and resilient - and we have the tools we need to be making huge progress to limit the effects of a changing climate."

The speaker line up includes Climate Change Minister James Shaw, Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods, and Opposition Climate Spokesperson Simon Watts.

With a programme full of nearly 100 international and local panellists representing business, government, policy makers, NGOs, academics, media, scientists and more, the two day event will create a much-needed opportunity for sharing the ideas and innovative thinking required to tackle the enormous task ahead of us.

Conference organisers are proud to once again be delivering a sustainable event which walks the talk on climate action. 2023 marks the 10th year the conference has been Toitū certified, with the last four years being certified carbon zero (where the full lifecycle of the event operations have been monitored and edited).

Full programme details and a list of speakers can be found on the conference website here.

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