Monash events

Monash booth

We were honoured to host a booth at COP27 promoting Monash University’s leading position in climate action in Australia and the Asia Pacific.

The booth provided us with the platform to engage with a broad audience consisting of youth, statespeople, country leaders, UN organisations, philanthropists, lobbyists and other universities with a global footprint.

The Australian Ambassador to Egypt, Dr Axel Wabenhorst with Monash delegation leader Dr Mathew French, Director of Research Missions and Global Impact at the Monash booth.

Standards Australia executives visiting the Monash booth.

The Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture (MADA) spoke about the importance of sustainable building principles

Monash University led an event along with the Global Buildings Performance Network (GBPN) and Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC) titled "Building Sector Actions: the Unprecedented Opportunity for Climate Change Commitments".

This event introduced a new set of criteria to identify front-runner commitments relevant to the building sector commitments in nationally determined contributions (NDCs).

The session explored the approaches government and non-state actors are taking to include the building sector actions in their commitments. The criteria was showcased in a digital tool to help benchmark and increase ambition.

Event Presenters Dr Diane Kraal from Monash with Dr Sunita Purushottam from the Global Buildings Performance Network (GBPN) and Jonathon Duwyn, Programme Officer, Buildings and Construction, GlobalABC / UNEP.

David Griggs, adjunct Professor at Monash Sustainable Development Institute presented on the co-benefits of a green transition

Professor Griggs started Monash Sustainability Institute (MSI) and Monash Sustainable Development Institute (MSDI) and helped develop the Sustainable Development Goals. He has been the Director of the Warwick Institute for Global Sustainable Development, Monash Sustainability Institute and CEO of Climateworks Australia – an independent research-based non-profit organisation committed to catalysing greenhouse gas emissions reductions.

Dr Susie Ho, Monash COP27 delegation leader with MSDI’s Professor David Griggs and Meg Argyriou from Climateworks Centre

Climateworks Centre featured prominently across the COP27 conference presenting at a number of events

Dr Emi Gui from Climateworks Centre shared her expertise at a panel-event titled ‘'Australian Renewable Energy and Hydrogen Opportunity' at the Australian Pavilion. Dr Gui is a member of the United Nations Council of Engineers for the Energy Transition debuted at COP27 representing engineers who bring about physical changes and transformation of cities and environments we live in toward net zero and Paris Agreement goals. Climateworks Centre delegates appeared in panels discussing innovative approaches to climate financing in our region, and ocean-based climate mitigation. Find out more

Dr Emi Mighui-Gui from Climateworks Centre sharing her expertise

Student press conference moderated by Monash’s Dr Susie Ho, along with Vanderbilt, Michigan Technological University, Duke and Colorado college

A key takeaway was that students felt that interdisciplinary and global education networks are crucial for helping them see the many dimensions of climate change and for helping them collaborate across borders to take climate action. They also feel strongly about being involved in curriculum development and climate action as they want to be partners in all climate action dialogs.

Dr Susie Ho moderating a youth event

Fiji's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dr Satyendra Prasad, giving his opening remarks at the event. Fiji is actively moving communities out of harm’s way. However, the Government of Fiji lacks the domestic resources to rise to the scale of the challenge: Forty eight Fijian communities are at the “very front of the frontlines” of the climate crisis.

2nd speaker, Mr Rex Horoi, Monash’s Climate Change Envoy for the Pacific.

Rex highlighted Monash’s Revitalising Informal Settlements and their Environments program (RISE), which is operating in Fiji and Indonesia, hand in hand with regional partners – which has been operating for five years now in partnership with Fiji National University. The event was moderated by Dr Sali Bache from Climateworks Centre.

Dr Sali Bache from Climateworks Centre hosted a panel event titled ‘Furthering impact and ambition through ocean-based climate mitigation’

The event discussed achieving integrated ocean-based mitigation and marine nature-based solutions. It aimed to progress understanding of the importance and opportunity of ocean action to climate change to support the current developments in the UNFCCC “Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue.

Climateworks session on engagement strategies for climate mitigation in Southeast Asia, with representatives from DFAT and the Asian Development Bank

Dr Susie Ho and Monash students spoke at several press conferences as part of Youth Environmental Alliance in Higher Education (YEAH) network activities

Monash student delegates at COP27 Izzy Zhu-Maguire and Jade Hameister ran a press conference as part of the Youth Environmental Alliance in Higher Education (YEAH) alongside students from a diverse range of international universities, reflecting on the youth perspective on environmental justice. COP27 made history with first-ever Youth-led Climate Forum, Children and Youth Pavilion at COP and Youth Envoy Young representatives from the Conference of the Youth present the Global Youth Statement, underlining key policy shifts required to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees.

Monash Master of International Relations Student and COP27 delegate, Isabelle (Izzy) Zhu-Maguire spoke at the YEAH press conference on the ‘Talanoa Dialogues’, which focus on diverse storytelling and intercultural exchange for climate action. She shared stories from Afghan women on their experience of climate impacts.

Monash student ambassadors Izzy Zhu-Maguire and Jade Hameister at a COP27 youth networking event.

Dr Susie Ho from Monash with Immaculata Casimero – leader of The Wapichan people, managing and protecting the Amazon through their land rights and sovereignty, via mapping, monitoring, women and youth.

At the launch of the Kioa Climate Declaration – a declaration created by Pacific Islanders, youth and community driven. People in the Pacific are experiencing climate change and have been leading climate action for decades.

The Monash delegates during week 1 at COP27. Dr Susie Ho, Meg Argyriou, Jade Hameister, Dr Diane Kraal, Izzy Zhu-Maguire, Federico Marcon.

Calls for climate action grow louder at COP27. Loss and damage are high on many people’s agendas and protests call for "Pay for Loss and Damage now".

World Health Organisation (WHO) is one of the standout UN organisations driving the climate action conversation and setting new ambitious agendas for climate and health policy, research and action. They were at COP27 sharing lessons, highlighting the challenges, and forging new partnerships across sectors.

Session led by indigenous groups on challenges of prevailing carbon markets, how it is hard for indigenous communities to engage as equals in processes due to power imbalances and limited transparency over processes.

The Australian Pavilion at COP27

Sustainability: Monash Australia and Monash Malaysia at the Malaysia Pavilion.

Monash delegate Shreejan Pandey from the Monash Energy Institute with President and Vice President, Research and Innovation, University of Alberta visiting the Monash booth.