Christchurch to host UN climate conference
Hundreds of scientists, officials and experts will arrive in 2025 to discuss how to deal with the climate crisis. The United Nations' Adaptation Futures Conference will take place in Christchurch in 2025 to help prepare countries, cities and communities for the effects of climate change. The week-long summit will be held at the award-winning Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre in late October 2025, with 1500 participants expected. The conference will set up hubs in the Pacific, Africa and South America, and the University of Canterbury will host the event with Mana whenua Ngāi Tūāhuriri and iwi NgāI Tahu. Representatives from 120 countries are expected to attend in person, and they will present best-practice ways to defend and protect people from climate-related threats such as flooding, wildfires, rising seas and water shortages. The event is part of a larger effort by the UN to create a ground-breaking low-carbon event.
Published : 2 years ago by Olivia Wannan in Environment
Scientists, officials and leaders will convene in Ōtautahi Christchurch in 2025 to help prepare countries, cities and communities for the effects of climate change.
The United Nations’ Adaptation Futures Conference is held every two years around the globe, and the next event is expected to bring 1500 participants to the Garden City.
After its regeneration following the earthquakes, Christchurch understood how to adapt “like no other city”, said mayor Phil Mauger.
The week-long summit will be held at the award-winning Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre in late October 2025.
To minimise the event’s carbon footprint, the conference will set up hubs in the Pacific, Africa and South America. People will also be able to attend online.
The University of Canterbury will host the event with mana whenua Ngāi Tūāhuriri and iwi Ngāi Tahu.
Lisa Tumahai, the chair of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, said the summit was an exciting opportunity. It would showcase the efforts of Indigenous peoples, including Pacific and Māori, and highlight the role that Mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) could play, alongside Western science.
“It’s important that Indigenous peoples are part of the decision-making and are influencing policy on adaptation now and in the future,” she said.
University of Canterbury researcher and conference co-convenor Bronwyn Hayward said representatives from 120 countries were expected to attend in person.
At these meetings, officials, researchers and community members present best-practice ways to defend and protect people from climate-related threats such as flooding, wildfires, rising seas and water shortages.
The New Zealand conference would be a great opportunity for Pacific leaders – who are often on the front line of climate change – to gather, she said.
“It’s a very significant responsibility, as well as an honour, for New Zealand to be selected.”
The conference wasn’t just for boffins. Hayward encouraged local politicians, businesses, community groups, teachers and classrooms to get involved.
“This will be the most extraordinary and unique opportunity that New Zealand will have to learn from the world about cutting-edge climate adaptation.”
Hayward has found hope in the biennial summits. “While the scale of the problems are enormous, the speakers and the ideas are so inspiring.”
Conscious of the carbon emissions associated with a large conference in a remote part of the world, Hayward said the hosts had partnered with experts to create a ground-breaking low-carbon event. Regional hubs and virtual participation would decrease travel emissions and also make the event more accessible, she said.
Montreal hosted the seventh Adaptation Futures Conference last week, where host duties for the next event were formally passed to New Zealand officials, including Tumahai.
Topics: UN Climate Change Conference, ESG