Unlocking our low-emission future

To lead or follow?
Lead where you have expertise.
Leaders can take risks.

This was the first of four roundtables bringing together diverse experts from New Zealand and overseas to shed new light on particularly thorny questions for New Zealand’s low-emission transition. You can download a summary of the roundtable discussion to the right.

Unlocking our low-emission future began with a keynote address by Prof Charles Kolstad from the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (by video conference). View the presentation slides by Prof Charles Kolstad here (or watch the video below). 

The roundtable event was informed by a presentation on low-emission pathways (Catherine Leining, Motu Policy Fellow) and a presentation on models and institutions for adaptive decision-making (Suzi Kerr, Motu Senior Fellow). View the presentation slides by Catherine Leining and by Suzi Kerr. Or listen and watch a video of the slides by Catherine Leining here and by Suzi Kerr here.

From there, participants looked at the following thorny questions:

• What is the one action with the most impact needed towards a low-emission future, and what do government, businesses and civil society need to start doing now to make this happen?
• What is one key action your organization could be making towards a low-emission future and what is one key contribution that would be needed from another stakeholder to make this happen?
• What is one key uncertainty in your field and how does it affect your investment decisions? What would be needed to resolve this uncertainty and facilitate a shift towards low-emission investments?
• What are the triggers that might push New Zealand from one pathway option onto another?
• What tools for the government or the private sector would support adaptive decision making?
• What institutions and processes would support the ongoing evolution of low-emission pathways that are integrated across sectors and broadly supported?

Participation in this roundtable was by invitation only and included experts and decision makers from government, business, research, and civil society organisations. For this roundtable, presentations by keynote speakers and Motu researchers were made public (see links above). Discussions involving panellists and audience members were held under the spirit of the Chatham House Rule, where participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s) may be revealed. However, individuals may choose to disclose publicly their own participation in the roundtable and contribution to the discussions.

What: E-Mission Possible Roundtable: Unlocking our low-emission future

When: 8:00am-12:45pm, Wednesday 29 November 2017

Where: Lecture theatre RHLT3, Rutherford House, Victoria University, Wellington 

Agenda

Session 1A: New Zealand’s advantages, opportunities, barriers and risks arising from the low-emission transition

8:00 – 8:30 Registration at RHLT3. Morning tea and coffee in front of RHLT3.

8:30 – 9:00 Formal mihi and whakatau: Elijah Pue. Welcome by the project partners. 

9:00 – 9:30 Keynote address: Prof Dr Charles Kolstad, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (by video conference)

9:30 – 9:50 Motu presentation on low-emission pathways (Catherine Leining, Policy Fellow)

9:50 – 10:20 Panellists: Nick Gerritsen,  Manu Caddie, Anders Crofoot, Linda Thompson, and Paul Young respond to questions:

1. What is the one most impactful action needed towards a low-emission future, and what do government, businesses and civil society need to start doing now to make this happen?
2. What is one key action your organization could be making towards a low-emission future and what is one key contribution that would be needed from another stakeholder to make this happen?
3. What is one key uncertainty in your field and how does it affect your investment decisions? What would be needed to resolve this uncertainty and facilitate a shift towards low-emission investments?
4. What are the triggers that might push New Zealand from one pathway option onto another?

10.20 - 10.45 Discussion with the audience and panelists

10:45 – 11:15 Morning tea

Session 1B: Frameworks and institutional and research needs for decision making under uncertainty

11:15 – 11:35 Motu presentation on models and institutions for adaptive decision making (Dr Suzi Kerr, Senior Fellow)

11:35 – 12:05 Panellists: Catherine Murupaenga-Ikenn, Barry Barton, Simon Coates, Adrian-Macey, and Greg Severinsen respond to questions:

1. What tools for the government or the private sector would support adaptive decision making?
2. What institutions and processes would support the ongoing evolution of low-emission pathways that are integrated across sectors and broadly supported?

12:05 – 12:30 Discussion with the audience and panelists

12:30 – 12:45 Closing remarks: Key points and questions to carry forward to future roundtables