As the September deadline for 2035 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) looms ahead of Brazil’s November COP30, and the window for keeping global heating to 1.5C narrows, bipartisan Net Zero by 2050 targets and business support are under threat. This session will set the scene for the Summit with an examination of international and market movements, scientific realities and the targets countries and companies can and should be heading for.

Despite 2024 being the hottest year on record, there are questions whether corporate climate action is cooling. Join corporate leaders to discuss challenges in the corporate transition to net zero emissions. Can they juggle shareholder, community and investor pressures? Are they drowning under disclosure requirements? What are key lessons from the last decade of sustainability and transition planning? Is the capital there for the 1.5C transition? How are CEOs managing the personal and organisational obligations?

Are decarbonisation and net zero policies up to the task of coordinating the multitude of national and state funding initiatives? Are they crowding in or crowding out the necessary private capital? Can they deliver tangible and inclusive results to sustain long term investor and community confidence? How can the Net Zero Plan and six sectoral plans support this and harness carbon markets and market mechanisms to incentivise emissions reduction across the economy? Can these investments be sustained in the face of rising adaptation challenges and the need to ensure affected workers and communities are not left behind? This panel will discuss how public funds and policy best accelerates private investments, productivity and prosperity.

Corporate practice and positioning are under intensifying scrutiny from regulators, investors and the community. The last 12 months have seen significant developments in governance and competition policy. The introduction of mandatory climate change reporting will also re-write expectations for company management of climate-related financial risks and opportunities. How do we ensure that regulation and disclosure deliver more than just more reporting, genuinely informs public debate rather than delivering more data, and drives real change?

In the style of Australia’s weekly ABC discussion program, Australian political, business and community leaders will answer questions about whether net zero goals and a potential COP31 will unify or divide Australians. Is it possible to develop an inclusive agenda that meets the needs and aspirations of vital Australian voices amidst cost-of-living pressures, spiralling climate impacts and a fragmented media?  What lessons have we learnt from past industrial, Indigenous and political debates?

Australia has committed to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, aiming to be nature-positive by 2050, alongside its carbon goals. Carbon and nature repair markets can incentivise action, value ecosystem services and redirect investment but what is their contribution to achieving these global goals? How is the necessary public and private investment to be harnessed as environmental approval laws dating to the last century are overhauled? What is needed to sustain the necessary social licence and benefit sharing with regional, including Indigenous communities? What international lessons are there for us, or for us to share?

It’s crunch time for international co-operation with rapid geopolitical shifts, economic transformation and climate impacts. This plenary will explore Australia’s evolving role and opportunities for emission reduction and resilience cooperation with Asia Pacific neighbour countries and other trading partners, including China and the US. There have been significant advances in Paris Agreement and global crediting mechanisms and consideration of carbon policies in trade, tariff and border adjustments. Expert panellists will explore whether international cooperation is dead as COP30 looms and the campaign for an Australian/Pacific COP31 advances.

This session will take stock of discussions from the Summit and highlight urgent priorities to ensure effective, inclusive and sustainable net zero-aligned 2035 corporate and country plans. Can we really align these with the investment needed for climate, nature and history repair? COP31 or not, how do we leverage Australia’s experience, skills and policy frameworks to drive ambition and investment in the Asia Pacific and include First Nations outcomes? Join our experts as they reflect on the domestic priorities and international cooperation that can accelerate decarbonisation and other climate and nature positive solutions, and the opportunities for both policy and investment.