France Aotearoa Science, Technology and !nnovation (Fast!) is organizing two panel discussions in Wellington and Christchurch with experts in climate, ecology, law and the impact of climate change on Pacific Islands.

Join us in person or online (Zoom link will be provided) to listen and participate in these panels on 11 December in Wellington and Christchurch. This free event is organized by Fast! and sponsored by the Embassy of France. It will be concluded by a wine and cheese event.

Fast! is a not-for-profit New Zealand incorporated Society, whose objective is to help structure and strengthen the collaboration between France and Aotearoa New Zealand, to foster science advances, stimulate communication and enhance sharing in science and innovation between the two countries. This December, Fast! will be celebrating its 4th anniversary. What better way to do so than combining it with the 5th anniversary of COP21!

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On 12 December 2015, the Conference of the Parties (COP21) came together in Paris and reached a landmark agreement to mitigate climate change with the ambitious goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. The Paris Agreement was effectively adopted on 4 November 2016 and has since been ratified by 188 Parties. New Zealand and France both ratified the Paris Agreement in 2016. The Paris Agreement requires all Parties to put forward a comprehensive mitigation plan. Five years have elapsed since the COP21. However, climate change has gotten even worse: glaciers have been retracting in New Zealand, France and Antarctica amongst many places, sea level rise has become a reality for coastal communities, particularly in the Pacific Islands, and climate migration has started. In parallel, the world has been hit by a global pandemic.

What has been achieved? What have been France’s and New Zealand’s contributions, actions and collaborative efforts to tackle the climate challenge? How has Covid interfered with the progress, and what can we learn from it? These are questions worth asking, half a decade after the agreement.

Join us to listen and participate in these panels on 11 December in Wellington and Christchurch.

The venues are:

• In Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington Hunter Council Chamber, Level 2, Hunter Building, Kelburn Campus

• In Christchurch: University of Canterbury, Engineering Core, Lecture Theatre E5

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• In Wellington, the panelists are:

• Peter Lockhart (School of Fundamental Sciences, Massey University)

• Geraldine Giraudeau (Universite de Perpignan)

• Tim Naish (Antarctic Research Centre, Victoria University)

• Adrian Macey (Institute for Governance and Policy Studies, Victoria University)

The panel will be facilitated by Geoffroy Lamarche, President of Fast!

• In Christchurch, the panelists are:

• Sandra Lavorel (Landcare Research)

• Kate Brown (Global Island Partnership)

• Alelign Gessese (Lumen Engineering)

• Susan Krumdieck (Heriot Watt University/University of Canterbury)

The panel will be facilitated by Mathieu Sellier and James Nikitine.