The electrification of transport will be in the spotlight at this year’s Climate Change & Business Conference, taking place in Auckland next month.

This year’s programme will feature nearly 35 different sessions and over 100 New Zealand-based and international speakers.

The conference comes as Aotearoa New Zealand y determines its next set of emissions reduction budgets and targets.

The programme includes a session on transport’s role in a “future-fit” economy which has Drive Electric chair Kirsten Corson, Auckland Transport representative Paul Winton, KiwiRail chief executive Peter Reidy, Air New Zealand’s Kiri Hannifin, and SBC climate and nature head Antonia Burbidge.

Delivered in partnership between the Environmental Defence Society (EDS), the Sustainable Business Council (SBC) and Climate Leaders Coalition (CLC), the long-standing conference will bring together hundreds of delegates for two days of kōrero around timely and relevant topics including the role of government and business in the transition, climate adaptation and resilience, transition planning, international trade and competition, nature, and the latest clean technologies and solutions.

Joëlle Gergis, award-winning Australian climate scientist and writer, will be delivering a keynote presentation on the global transition to net zero and what stands between us and 1.5.

“The science is telling us we’re not moving fast enough, and the Pacific is one of the most vulnerable regions in the world when it comes to our changing climate,” said keynote speaker Joëlle Gergis, Australian climate scientist and writer.

“We know we have the tools and technology to get there. We need to keep looking at things like our use of fossil fuels, the scaling up of renewable energy, electrification of transport, and the rehabilitation of deforested land.”

Registrations for the 2024 Climate Change & Business Conference close on 3 September. Full programme details and a list of speakers can be found on the conference website.