🌍 What We Learned at the SA Industry Climate Conference 25 -And Why It Matters

From the potential of Adelaide hosting COP31 to a renewed sense of urgency on climate action, the South Australian Industry Climate Conference brought together minds, models, and movements. Hubble was proud to attend and contribute, and we’re even prouder to be part of the transition ahead.

🚨 1. Adelaide Could Host COP31

The Premier’s remark landed with quiet impact — not overstated, but deeply meaningful. For those of us who’ve attended previous COPs — as I did in Dubai for COP28, where more than 80,000 delegates gathered at Expo City — the idea of Adelaide being considered as a host for COP31 felt both exciting and sobering. It’s a significant possibility, and one that carries enormous responsibility. Hosting a COP isn’t just about prestige or putting South Australia on the map; it’s about creating space for real, grounded climate action. It’s about welcoming the world, sharing ideas, showcasing local innovation, and being transparent about the work still to be done.

The Premier noted that a feasibility study by KPMG had already confirmed Adelaide’s capability — with local accommodation networks like Airbnb expected to play a key role in hosting the volume of international delegates. Our city has already shown its capacity to deliver major events — from LIV Golf to the Adelaide Fringe and the AFL Gather Round — but this would take things to an entirely new level. If successful, this would mark a pivotal moment for South Australia — not just as a symbol of climate ambition, but as a working example of what climate leadership looks like on the ground.

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Of course, Turkey is also a strong contender — and should not be underestimated. With its strategic location bridging Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, Turkey provides exceptional ease of access for global delegates. The country has made significant investments in infrastructure, most notably the Istanbul Airport, now one of the largest and most connected in the world. On the climate front, Turkey has stepped up its commitments in recent years. The country ratified the Paris Agreement in 2021 and launched its 2053 Net-Zero target, along with a Green Development Revolution aimed at aligning economic growth with environmental responsibility. These efforts reflect a growing alignment with global climate priorities and reinforce Turkey’s capability to host a summit of this scale and importance.

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🔬 2. Dr Pep Canadell’s Wake-Up Call

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One of the most sobering sessions of the SA Climate Conference came from Dr. Pep Canadell, Executive Director of the Global Carbon Project and Chief Research Scientist at CSIRO. Widely recognised as one of the world’s leading climate scientists, Dr. Canadell has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications, many of which are foundational in understanding the global carbon cycle. He is also a Coordinating Lead Author of the IPCC, contributing critical insights to reports that inform climate policy around the world. His message was clear and unflinching: climate change is no longer a distant threat — it is unfolding now, and the window for meaningful action is rapidly closing.

Dr. Canadell presented updated data showing that global sea levels are rising faster than previously modelled, driven by accelerating ice loss in Greenland and Antarctica. He also pointed to record-breaking global carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere and the compounding impacts of feedback loops, such as thawing permafrost and changing ocean currents.

Perhaps most urgent was his warning: without drastic emissions reductions and a global deployment of negative emissions technologies, we risk crossing irreversible tipping points in Earth’s climate system — changes that, once set in motion, cannot be undone within human timescales.

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🌱 3. Systems Thinking: Cities Where People and Planet Thrive

A recurring theme was the need for systems that work for both people and the planet. Some of our favourite contributions included:

1. Larry Lye Hock Ng (Board of Architects, Singapore): Advocated for integrated People-Nature-Commute (PNC) networks. Adelaide ranks as one of the happiest cities — but could we make it the greenest too?
2. RAA’s “Triple A” Framework: For climate solutions to scale, they must be Affordable, Accessible, and Appealing. Spot on.Trellis and ,
3. Pavlo Smoliy (CEO, Trellis): Made carbon accounting simple and actionable. Every business can and should measure — and reduce — their impact.

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How Hubble Contributes

At Hubble, our mission is to make climate action practical, personal, and powerful — especially at the household and local government level, where some of the most meaningful change can happen.

We help Industry, councils, and governments make better decisions through data-driven insights that bridge comfort, cost, and carbon. Our platform sits at the intersection of building physics, climate data, and machine learning, translating technical complexity into actionable pathways for anyone looking to reduce emissions and improve home performance.

Here’s how we’re making that happen:

• 🔍 Assessment Engine: We analyse homes and buildings to understand their current performance across key dimensions — thermal comfort, energy use, emissions footprint, and upgrade potential.
• 🛠️ Low-Carbon Roadmaps: Our system creates bespoke retrofit recommendations, prioritising interventions like insulation, electrification, solar, shading, and behavioural changes — with transparent impact projections and cost-benefit estimates.
• 🏛️ Support for Peak Industry Bodies and Local Governments: Councils use Hubble to scale residential climate programs, allocate grants more effectively, and engage residents with tools that are easy to understand and act on. We’re proud to be working with forward-thinking regions already leading the way.

While the momentum toward COP31 in Adelaide is energising, our focus remains clear: supporting our partners to take action now — from empowering individual homeowners to equipping councils with evidence-based tools that deliver results.

In an era where climate leadership must come from every corner — not just international summits — we’re here to help build the systems where people and planet can thrive together.

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