Meanwhile, the Net Zero Carbon Events movement is also at COP29, announcing the integration of the movement’s work into the UN’s green events tool.
The Federal Government is making a play for Australia to host COP31 and the South Australian Government recently declared its intention to be the host should Australia’s bid be successful.
The state’s premier, Peter Malinauskas, is in Baku, Azerbaijan, this week, where COP29 is being held, to have “intensive discussions” to advocate for Adelaide as the 2026 host and to understand how the event operates.
Part of the purpose of Malinauskas’ trip to Baku is to show how South Australia could meet the significant infrastructure, security and logistical needs of the conference.
The state government has already undertaken some feasibility work to ensure Adelaide has the capacity to host the event.
COP31 would bring more than 30,000 delegates to Australia from 197 countries. If held in Adelaide it would be the largest business event ever staged in South Australia.
“Hosting COP31 would firmly put our state on the global map,” said Malinauskas.
“This conference will attract tens of thousands of people and hundreds of millions of dollars into our state, it will provide an incredible opportunity to market our state to investors across the world, enhanced global visibility and deliver long lasting benefits for our tourism and events industry.
“South Australia is primed and ready to host COP31 in November 2026, as Australia’s renewable energy powerhouse, as a safe and secure city, and as a state that has an enviable record of hosting major events.
“We are the perfect choice to be the host city for this momentous conference,” said the premier.
On the global events industry front, representatives of the Net Zero Carbon Events movement are in Baku to debut a partnership with the UN’s Green Events Tool through one of the tool’s collaborators, Gulf Organisation for Research and Development.
As part of the partnership, measurement methodology from Net Zero Carbon Events will be incorporated into the Green Events Tool.
“This is a very exciting development for Net Zero Carbon Events and for the industry,” said James Rees, president of the Joint Meetings Industry Council, which looks after the Net Zero Carbon Events initiative on behalf of the industry.
“It takes our cooperation and integration with the United Nations’ standards on measurement a significant step forward.
“The joint launch event at COP29 and the signing of an MoU between both institutions marks a commitment to substantive discussions, paving a pathway to future collaboration.
“Since its inception at COP26 in Glasgow, the Net Zero Carbon Events initiative has made remarkable progress in advancing sustainability practices within the business events industry.
Thanks to the collective efforts of our community, we have achieved significant clarity on environmental aspects relevant to our sector, clearing the way towards a more sustainable future.”
Both the Gulf Organisation for Research and Development and the UN commended the new partnership.
“Partnerships like this are a good example of the steps that we need to take,” said Suriya Mues, programme officer for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
“It is providing the events industry with a powerful tool.”
