There are several reasons that this event by Curtin University’s Net Zero Precincts research group on 28 November is unmissable. The timing alone has never been more critical.
What a global drama played out last week. The biggest political context in the world is battling for power. Yet the biggest issue of our time – climate change – was rendered into irrelevance.
Not a word by either party, or the commentariat about what happened, as 5 November came and went.
Yet climate itself had spoken loudly in the lead up with twin hurricanes in Florida in the past month and devastating floods in Spain over the past week. Both events are beyond anything seen before.
Perhaps it has become too hard to address – it’s now out of control. We can only deal with it by denial, but that is not healthy or realistic about our future.
When global and national politics on climate change are rendered irrelevant, it’s time to show more direction at a local level. Humanity needs hope on this fundamental question of how to deal with climate.
Our Net Zero Precincts research group at Curtin is addressing the local level of climate. It is seeking to find solutions in how we build our cities without causing climate change. We have some ideas, and we have some questions about how we take the smallest steps in how we plan, build, and govern our precincts.
Neighbourhoods, collections of houses and streets are now starting to take on how to build and run our cities without fossil fuels. Developers and local governments are now looking for net zero guidance.
The technology with solar, batteries and EVs is largely there, but how do we now demonstrate such change and accelerate its mainstreaming?
And perhaps most of all, in this age of political disillusionment, how do we reassure the public that each new part of our future that we build is actually net zero?
The process is called certification.
We have learned globally, nationally and locally to be wary of greenwashing as it is at the heart of turning the politics of climate change into irrelevance.
How do we provide reassurance that we can solve climate change in a series of small steps – one house and street at a time?
A Net Zero Certification Forum is exploring how we can provide public reassurance on solutions to climate change in our cities. It is on 28 November.
It’s free and virtual. And it’s not a series of experts doing “show and tell”. It’s about bringing together a range of people so we can try to work out what we do next about net zero precinct certification.
It’s perfect timing as we have three big reviews due to be released from the Senate Inquiry into Greenwashing, the Review of Climate Active by DCCEEW, and the release of Version 2 of the GBCA Communities certification.
And we will hear feedback from COP 29 over the week before including the status of the UN’s Integrity Matters Report.
We are seeking to answer five questions:
- Are there any reasons why net zero certification in the built environment will not grow?
- Are there any new barriers to urban precincts becoming an increasing proportion of net zero certification?
- Is it likely that urban development certification by simple ratings will become less or more important in an era of increased need for net zero?
- It there a way of ensuring carbon offsets have integrity?
- What is the best way to ensure net zero precinct certification can be enabled into the future?
Climate change is deeply challenging. Rendering it into irrelevance is denial and just causes deeper human despair and more severe health problems.
If we can show how to take steps forward, with integrity, then we can create public reassurance and, most of all, hope in a time of denial.
Join us for four hours on 28 November.
It continues to sicken and sadden me that despite the incredible amount of credible evidence that clearly supports the issue of global warming/climate change and its destructive impact on our environment, our health and infrastructure that the majority of people continue to refuse to recognize it and support efforts to combat it!!!