On 5 November 2015, 25 days before the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris, the Australian Climate Leadership Summit provided a forum for business and government leaders to showcase climate commitments, demonstrate strong climate leadership and began a new climate conversation.
The Summit was an official COP21 lead-in event accredited by the French Government.
About the Summit
Why
The summit aimed to:
- Provide a platform for Australian companies to highlight their leadership on climate change
- Provide a forum to facilitate business collaboration and knowledge-sharing on climate action
- Connect companies with governments creating the conditions for a low carbon economy
- Connect Australian companies with the global context of business action on climate change
- Highlight the strong growth opportunities from the transition to a low carbon economy
Who
Summit delegates were senior representatives of:
- Companies: CEOs, board members & senior executives
- Institutional investors
- Industry associations
- Governments creating the conditions for a low carbon economy
- NGOs and academics creating pathways to a low carbon economy
What
- Stories of strong climate leadership – CEOs and senior business executives shared how and why businesses have made climate commitments
- A new conversation on climate change: How should we drive the transition to a strong low carbon economy? What will the new low carbon society + economy look like?
- Examples of creative disruption from within mainstream business and from innovative start-ups
- Case studies from states, regions and cities that are leading action
Ultimately, the Summit consolidated the increasing alignment on climate action across diverse sectors and helped to shift the conversation towards how Australia can exploit the tremendous opportunities that arise from the transition to the low carbon, future economy.