The Digest Down Under: three bold events with bold goals as Australia contemplates its place in a world on a low-carbon transition

This week, the Digest makes its way Down Under for a meet-up of the Bold Goals Action Group — a coalition of the willing aiming to help accelerate the pace of bioeconomy deployment. At the same time, we’re stopping in at two must-see industry events I’d like to bring to your attention in case you’re on the fence about attending yourself (in which case, I’ll see you there) or would like to know more about.

This Tuesday (9/19(, the inaugural Australian Bioeconomy Conference gets underway in Newcastle, New South Wales and I wouldn’t have missed this one for the world. While biofuels, hydrogen and technologies such as RNG have each been in focus over the years in the Antipodes, there’s never been an event that truly takes on the whole of the bioeconomy opportunity or lays out a vision for how a country such as Australia can have a dynamic production, use and export role in a global bioeconomy. Yes, Australia is dry — but the United Arab Emirates just joined the Global Biofuels Alliance, after all — dry does not mean “doomed to burn fossil fuels forever” — it means, think circular, use carbon as if it were made of diamonds ·which it is, matter of fact). A group of visionaries are bringing forth the first true circular bioeconomy projects in Australia and they’ll be the topic of discussion, debate and celebration at this amazing event coming up soon.

On Friday, we have the Bold Goals Action Group meet-up, in Sydney and we’ll find out who actually is going to take a leading role in changing the world. It takes a village to build a bioeconomy, but it starts with a small village. More on the Bold Goals meet-up and the group as a whole, right here.

Next Monday (9/25), the International Rapeseed Congress gets underway in Sydney, it’s an international and renowned event, and rightly has found its way here— you might be surprised how much canola is grown across Australia. It’s a thriving industry with incredibly bright horizons as the demand for plant oils is literally exploding with growth — what’s coming in the science, in the markets, in the prices and in the hectares, not only in Australia but around the world — that’s the question which the IRC takes on and the meeting has never been more timely or needed.

When I get back from our Aussie sojourn, I’ll share the slides I presented at the Australian Bioeconomy Conference and the International Rapeseed Congress as well as  write up of the key themes of both events and the outcomes from the Bold Goals meet-up. So, no matter where you are, you won’t miss a thing. 

If you find yourself on a visit there yourself over the next few weeks, I hope you’ll join me at one (or all) of these three amazing events, and that we’ll have a chance to get a cuppa together.