12 Nov 2025
The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) and Air Club are proud to support a landmark discussion on indoor air quality at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, highlighting how buildings can protect health and wellbeing in a changing climate.
The event, Indoor Air: The Climate, Health and Energy Nexus, will be held at the Australia Pavilion in the Blue Zone on Wednesday 12 November (6–7.30 pm Belém / 8–9.30 am AEDT on Thursday 13th).
It will bring together experts from government, academia and industry to explore how building design and management can safeguard people from the growing health impacts of climate change.
Speakers include Dr Bronwyn King AO (University of Melbourne), Dr Jane Lomax-Smith (Lord Mayor of Adelaide), Simon McWhirter (CEO, UK Green Building Council), Dr Jérôme Weinbach (Deputy Director, European and International Affairs, Government of France) and Roxana Dela Fiamor (Global Policy Lead, US Green Building Council).
GBCA Chief Executive Officer Davina Rooney said the session highlights how designing for clean indoor air is integral to climate resilience.
“For years we’ve focused on how to reduce the causes of climate change, but we’re now living with its consequences,” Ms Rooney said.
“Heat stress is already Australia’s deadliest natural hazard, and our buildings must be designed for that reality. At GBCA, we’ve long championed healthy, climate-ready buildings, and indoor air quality sits right at the heart of that vision. We’re proud to be helping drive this global conversation at COP30.”
The event will be facilitated by Dr Bronwyn King AO, who recently launched the Global Pledge for Healthy Indoor Air at United Nations’ headquarters in New York, and co-founded Air Club – a global community for indoor air quality advocates and experts.
“Many people are unaware that indoor air is frequently poor quality, containing invisible pollutants and pathogens that damage health.” Dr King said.
“Addressing indoor air quality is essential for both climate resilience and pandemic preparedness, and will safeguard health, improve productivity and uplift value of commercial real estate.”
Hosted by University of Melbourne and proudly sponsored by GBCA, the US Green Building Council (USGBC), and PlasmaShield, the session aims to spark global collaboration on healthier, climate-ready buildings.
The session will be livestreamed via the COP30 Australian Pavilion Hub (see here).
Event details
Indoor Air: The Climate, Health and Energy Nexus
Australia Pavilion, Blue Zone, COP30, Belém, Brazil
Wednesday 12 November, 6–7.30pm (Belém) | Thursday 13 November, 8–9.30am (Sydney)