As climate-related disasters increase, and the threat of the global pandemic continues, the need for Cleantech awareness and uptake across Australia and the world is becoming more prevalent.
The role of Cleantech in economic growth and recovery post-COVID-19, and in the face of climate change, will be the focus of the third National Cleantech Conference & Exhibition (NCTCE) in 2021. This year’s theme: from disruption to transition.
As Australia’s only multi-sector Cleantech event, the two-day exhibition is scheduled for November in Brisbane. The aim is to provide a national platform for collaboration, learning, networking and doing business between innovators, investors, producers, and commercial end-users of clean technology.
The 2021 speaker program will feature Cleantech industry innovators and thought leaders from Europe, America and around Australia.
Program highlights include a panel discussion featuring a representative from each Australian state and territory. John O’Brien, Decarbonisation Partner at Deloitte, will facilitated the panel and discuss the state of Cleantech in Australia.
As one of Australia’s preeminent leaders in the emergence of Cleantech, John says while many people understand the company to only embrace renewable energy, all levels of government and large corporate entities are understanding it to be so much more.
“For example, the role finance companies will be asked to play – and are already playing – in reducing emissions is ramping up exponentially,” John said.
“If you are to invest a dollar or loan a dollar, the question exists around what the emissions associated with that dollar might be.
“And while the pressure is on oil, gas, and mining to embrace Cleantech solutions and make the transition to them, consumers are also looking for carbon neutral options on their products every day – from booking flights to buying beer.
This is where the opportunity for Cleantech entrepreneurs is so great. John says it is becoming universally understood that the cost of doing nothing about climate change is simply too great for economies the world over – and Cleantech solutions can be found across all sectors from water, energy, waste, transport, agriculture, manufacturing, and the built environment.
He says the economic and financial factors around Cleantech solutions are now driving the uptake as much as environmental factors, which is pleasing to see, but is a steady process.
“Cleantech offers solutions to the big climate challenges and consumers are now demanding these solutions. There’s simply no better time to act than now,” John says.
It’s a sentiment shared by the CEO of Australian organisation Beyond Zero Emissions, Heidi Lee, who will facilitate a panel discussion on how coal producing regions can transition to green economies, using the Ruhr Valley in Germany as a case study.
“One of the biggest opportunities in Australia right now is to capture the rapidly growing market for zero-emissions products,” she says.
“Most Australians don’t realise the many positive economic and social benefits the transition to zero emissions will bring for us. Individually, there’ll be household cost savings, and as a society we have some of the best renewable resources in the world, so we’ll be a top-tier choice for global businesses to operate.
“Through showcasing zero-emissions solutions in these places, we’re able to promote the benefits and opportunities that exist, shift the public narrative, and make sure that Australia acts now to seize this opportunity.”
The focus of the 2021 National Cleantech Conference & Exhibition (NCTCE) aligns strongly with the objectives of the Technology Investment Roadmap released by the Australian Government in 2020, which prioritises low emissions technologies with potential to deliver the strongest economic and emissions reduction outcomes for Australia.
To register for the conference, email:
cleantech@nectarcc.com.au or phone 1300 878 815.