Climate Change: The Evolving Global and Local Context

Since President Trump’s reelection in late 2024, many countries and companies have reduced their efforts to tackle climate change and lower their greenhouse gas emissions. Locally, since late 2023, the New Zealand government has repealed many of the measures implemented by previous administrations to reduce emissions and has yet to introduce long- promised legislation to enhance climate change adaptation. Meanwhile, the Earth’s mean surface temperature is close to breaching 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

Two leading climate change policy experts, Dr Rodd Carr and Kay Harrison, will explore the evolving climate change policy context, both globally and locally. They will review the key policy changes of recent years, explore the implications of the rapidly changing geopolitical, economic and technological context, and consider what steps New Zealand might take during the remainder of this decade to reduce its domestic emissions.

Speakers:

Dr Rod Carr - Dr Rod Carr was the inaugural Chair of the Climate Change Commission, serving from October 2019 until the end of 2024. Before this, Rod served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Canterbury for a decade, having previously held senior roles in business and as the Chair of the Board of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand. Currently, Rod serves on the Board of the ASB Bank and as an Advisor to Purpose Capital. Dr Carr has degrees in law and economics from the University of Otago, an MBA in Money and Financial Markets from Columbia University, New York, an MA in Applied Economics and Managerial Science and a PhD in Insurance and Risk Management from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

Kay Harrison - Kay Harrison has had a distinguished career as a New Zealand public servant and diplomat. Among other things, she served in senior roles at the Ministry for the Environment, including as Director of Climate Change and Director of Water Reform, and was the country’s Climate Change Ambassador from April 2019 until July 2024. In the latter capacity, she led the New Zealand Delegation to multiple conferences of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and co-facilitated various UNFCCC meetings. Since mid-2024, Kay has worked globally, within the region and in coalitions on all areas of climate action, including: enhanced ambition through cooperation in carbon markets; effective climate financing; and sustainable agriculture. Kay holds an MA in History and a MPP from Victoria University of Wellington and spent a year as a Harkness Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Murray Bruges - Murray Bruges is the Executive Director of the Helen Clark Foundation. Prior to the Foundation, Murray worked for Fonterra Co-operative Group in Auckland on resource management and environmental policy. From 2011 to 2020, Murray worked for the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in a range of roles focused on trade, economic, tech and climate policy, including a three year posting to the New Zealand Consulate General in Los Angeles. Earlier in his career, Murray worked for the Ministry of Fisheries on a range of policy issues. He lives in Auckland with his wife and son.