Climate Smart Engineering Conference 2025: program announced

Engineers Australia has announced the plenary program for its Climate Smart Engineering Conference 2025 (CSE25), taking place in Adelaide on 27–28 August 2025. The organisation says CSE25 will bring renowned thinkers and industry leaders to explore the critical role engineers play in building a climate-resilient and sustainable future.

“The 2025 theme, ‘Resilience Engineered: Solutions for our Climate Reality’, recognises that engineers are on the frontlines of designing a safer, cleaner and more adaptive future,” said Engineers Australia CEO Romilly Madew. “From decarbonisation and disaster recovery to diversity and data, this year’s plenary program is a powerful showcase of engineering’s systems thinking and impact.”

The plenary line-up includes:

• Professor Mark Howden, IPCC Vice Chair and Director of ANU’s Institute for Climate, Energy & Disaster Solutions, delivering a keynote on using climate evidence for engineering action.
• Professor Cheryl Desha, Natural Hazards Research Australia, exploring how engineers can design systems to thrive in the face of disruption.
• Simon Kuestenmacher, Co-Founder of The Demographics Group, outlining future workforce challenges, and what this means for the pipeline of engineers needed to address climate change.
• Dr Ian Oppermann, digital economy and AI expert; Satya Tanner, CEO of LAUTEC Australia; and Heidi Lee, CEO of Beyond Zero Emissions joining a panel on building resilience into Australia’s clean energy future.
• Professor Ali Abbas and Associate Professor Anita Parbhakar-Fox, on driving circular economy innovation across the engineering and resources sectors.
   

Plenary sessions across the two-day conference will explore:

• The role of engineering in climate resilience and disaster recovery
• Circular economy strategies to reduce waste and prolong asset life
• Building a diverse, inclusive, and future-ready engineering workforce
• Enhancing resilience and security in the transition to clean energy
   

CSE25 will also feature addresses from government leaders and prominent voices, including Susan Close MP, Deputy Premier of South Australia, and Master of Ceremonies Stephen Yarwood, urban futurist and former Lord Mayor of Adelaide.

“This is more than a conference: it’s a platform for action. CSE25 equips engineers and decision-makers with the insight, evidence and community needed to lead Australia’s transition with confidence,” Madew said.

When: 8.00 am–5.00 pm ACST, 27–28 August 2025
Where: Adelaide Convention Centre

For further details and to register, visit engineersaustralia.org.au/cse.

Image credit: iStock.com/NicoElNino