The Sustainable Business Council (SBC) and Climate Leaders Coalition (CLC) are again joining forces with the Environmental Defence Society (EDS) to deliver the country’s leading and longest running annual Climate Change and Business Conference.
Taking place in Tāmaki Makaurau at the Auckland Viaduct Events Centre on 19 and 20 September, the conference will provide a vital platform for climate action discussion and debate, less than a month out from the country’s General Election.
“The theme of this year’s conference is Delivering Net Zero and reflects the shift towards implementation on the journey towards securing a carbon zero 2050,” says SBC Executive Director Mike Burrell.
“The ongoing impact of the recent extreme weather events provides an acute reminder of the growing threat climate change poses to our homes, businesses and livelihoods. The speakers and format of this year’s conference will focus on what is needed to urgently deliver our bold ambition for a low emissions, climate resilient future – where all New Zealanders can thrive.”
Featuring a programme of international and local speakers and panellists, the Climate Change and Business Conference provides business leaders with a critical opportunity for sharing the leadership ideas and innovative thinking required to tackle the enormous task ahead of us.
“For the business community uncertainty is our new norm – whether that is in relation to the economic environment, political changes, or the environmental challenges we are facing with increasing regularity. But we don’t have the luxury to wait for certainty, and change is only going to accelerate from here. Gone are the days when climate change mitigation and adaptation were a nice to do. This is an urgent business need, and for those organisations who have been on this journey for some time, we know achieving deeper emissions reductions will only get harder from here. This requires us to place greater focus on innovation and effective collaboration within and between the public and private sectors,” says Spark CEO and CLC Convenor Jolie Hodson.
“This year’s conference will highlight the opportunities for business to make an impact in the journey to net zero. It provides a platform to connect and network with peers, for thought leadership, to showcase innovation and business investment, for collaboration, and importantly, to ask the hard questions about whether we’re doing enough collectively,” she says.
2023 also marks a milestone year for the conference, which will celebrate its 15th anniversary.
“We have come a long way since the first Climate Change and Business Conference in 2008,” says Gary Taylor, CEO of the Environmental Defence Society.
“The science is no longer disputed. Gabrielle has woken everyone up to the fact that climate change is indeed an existential threat, and business leadership on climate change is arguably outpacing that of governments.
“This year’s conference will have a sharp focus on identifying effective adaptation pathways which have been brought into acute focus for us, as well as maintaining the momentum on achieving real emission reductions at pace, free from greenwashing and with less reliance on offsetting,” says Mr Taylor.
Conference partners are pleased to be welcoming back the Ministry for the Environment and Westpac New Zealand as Foundation sponsors for this important event.
The 2022 Climate Change and Business Conference was the largest in the event’s history, with more than 500 people attending in person, and a nearly 300 joining online.
More information, including 2023 programme details and early bird registration, is available on the conference website here.
