The EIANZ's Special Interest Section on Climate Change (CC-SIS) supports and proactively encourages environmental practitioners to contribute in the most effective ways to addressing climate change by building capability, and influencing governments, commerce, industry and the broader community.

The CC-SIS was relaunched in August 2021 and since then has rapidly gained momentum. We have a brilliant energetic management committee, a powerful work plan and a number of early successes on the scoreboard, including:

• October 2021 – published an open letter to the Prime Ministers of Australia and New Zealand encouraging their participation at the Glasgow Conference of Parties (COP26)
• November 2021 – hosted a popular trans-Tasman webinar following COP26 to discuss the conference outcomes and ramifications for Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand
• February 2022 – published a response to the International Panel on Climate Change Working Group II Sixth Assessment Report – Impacts, Adaption and Vulnerability
• March 2022 – provided a strong statement on climate change for inclusion in the broader EIANZ election statement
• April 2022 – published a response to the International Panel on Climate Change Working Group III Sixth Assessment Report – Mitigation of Climate Change.

We're hoping to get for approval to release a statement on private sector innovation, entrepreneurship, and financing to accelerate climate change mitigation requirements.

Get involved

There are many opportunities for EIANZ members to get involved with the CC-SIS:

• Keep in touch. If you have an interest in climate change, make sure you tick 'Climate Change SIS' as an area of interest in your membership profile.
• Provide feedback to the management committee to help us refine and steer our work program. A short survey is now available to all members to solicit views on government and business programs and on the climate related work of the Institute. Please take the time to give us your insights.
  TAKE THE SURVEY HERE
  
  In addition, feel free to provide comment and suggestions at any time via email (ccsis@eianz.org).
• Become a member of the CC-SIS management committee. The committee meets virtually 10.30am-11.30am (AEST) on the fourth Wednesday of the month (10 times a year). In addition to attending these meetings, many members commit to limited out of session activities several times a year. If you are interested, please write a short note (including details of your interest in joining the committee and also your CV/professional background) and send it to ccsis@eianz.org.
• Assist in implementing our work program. The four themes of the work program are:

1. Define and promote good environmental practice in relation to climate change
2. Build knowledge of climate change science, mitigation and adaptation needs of communities and the environment
3. Represent the interests and standing of environmental practitioners and the EIANZ externally
4. Maintain a vibrant SIS and be influential within the EIANZ

Our work plan is available here. If you are interested in any of these four areas, or in any of the subtasks that support these areas, let us know via email (ccsis@eianz.org).

Benefits of involvement are great, including opportunities to collaborate with highly experienced and passionate practitioners in the climate change space, gaining new and different experience, and gaining professional development points toward CEnvP certification, not to mention the satisfaction of having a real positive impact on the response to climate change.

Get in touch

If you feel can contribute the work of the CC-SIS, the time is right to make it all worthwhile. There is critical mass behind the need to limit and adapt to climate change and we can use our knowledge and experience to hasten the response. Get in touch with the Climate Change Special Interest Section by emailing ccsis@eianz.org.