Climate Change & Business Centre

Climate Change & Business Centre
Climate Change & Business Seminars

The Climate Change & Business Centre

The Climate Change & Business Centre operates in Australia and New Zealand and the wider region. Its primary objective is to educate and inform business and the public about climate change and the risks and opportunities it presents.

This objective is achieved through a number of activities undertaken by the Centre including:

Organising and operating workshops, seminars, conferences and other events to profile climate change risks and opportunities
Commissioning and publishing relevant think-pieces, research papers, opinion pieces and other publications

The Climate Change & Business Centre’s primary activity to date has been the organisation of the Australia – New Zealand Climate Change & Business Conferences. The most recent conference was held in Brisbane in August 2007. Planning is now underway for a fourth conference to be held in Auckland in 2008.

The Climate Change & Business Centre also provides a seminar service whereby tailored presentations on climate change and its impact on businesses can be designed to meet specific needs of an organisation. Please see below for further details.

The Climate Change & Business Centre is a not-for-profit organisation.

Climate Change and Business Seminars

The Seminars: Climate Change and Business Seminars provide an introductory overview of climate change and the risks and opportunities to business. The focus is on the practical issues facing business. The seminars run for approximately 1.5 hours with expert speakers presenting in a framework that would generally include:

Climate Change Science – an overview of the IPCC findings and updates indicating human-induced warming. A brief summary of implications relevant to the sector being addressed.
Climate Change Policy – overview of local and global policy, including explanation of the Kyoto Protocol, the US position and the negotiation process coming out of Bali.
Risks & Opportunities – This section will be tailored to the sector being addressed. Risks relevant to the audience will be discussed along with business opportunities available and initiatives already undertaken by others.

Audience: The seminars can be designed to suit different types of audiences. Programs now under consideration would be appropriate for:

Senior and mid-level managers of small to medium sized businesses who are aware of climate change but uncertain of its impacts and what can be done.
Staff of companies which already have a commitment to sustainability that is driven by senior management but is not yet fully understood across the organisation. The program will focus on what the company is doing, its position on climate change and its initiatives.
Company directors and senior executives. The program could be part of off-site or strategy sessions / retreats. The program would include specifics on carbon disclosure obligations and governance requirements and trends.

Implementation: Each seminar will be hosted by a sponsor/partner with their branding (as appropriate). The Climate Change & Business Centre (CC&B) will organise and coordinate the program, working with many of the expert speakers previously involved in the CC&B Conferences. Cost of the seminar will be on a cost recovery basis, including the cost of speakers, travel and a small amount of administrative work.