You are invited to a UC Alumni Wellington Chapter event on Wednesday 4 October 2023 with guest speaker Dr Adrian Macey.

"How not to save the planet: The seven habits of highly ineffective climate change people

Shortly after New Zealand's 2023 election, the world's climate change community will converge on Dubai for the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 28). Yet again this is likely to fail to save the planet, causing much hand-wringing, anger, accusations, and vows to do better next time.

These conferences have produced tedious repetitions of the same theatrical scenario over the years, punctuated with occasional successes like the Paris Agreement. They have become more of an obstacle than an engine of progress. But it's not only the conferences that are to blame.

The talk will explain the scandalously diminishing returns from the international climate circuit, and ask whether there is a better way.

RSVP by Friday 29 September 2023

Speaker bio: Dr Adrian Macey

Adrian Macey is an Adjunct Professor, New Zealand Climate Change Research Institute (School of Geography and Earth Sciences) at Victoria University of Wellington. He is also a fellow of the Institute of Advanced Studies, Nantes, France, where he was resident in 2019.

He previously served in various positions in the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, including Chief Trade Negotiator, ambassador to Thailand and to France, permanent representative to the OECD, and as New Zealand’s first climate change ambassador. He was vice-chair, then chair of the UNFCCC Kyoto Protocol negotiations in 2010-2011. He has served on a number of GATT and WTO dispute settlement panels.

His research interests include climate change policy, the science-policy connections, international governance, and trade. Recent research as part of a team involving Oxford and UC scientists has focused on more accurate measurement of the warming effects of short-lived greenhouse gases such as methane.

Adrian has an MA in French from the University of Canterbury and a PhD in French from Otago University.