RMIT regenerative futures expert Chris Speed led a panel at the CEDA Climate and Energy Summit ahead of the launch of the RMIT Regenerative Futures Institute in May. He was joined by industry leaders Renée Wootton Tomlin, Kate Dundas and Philippa Abbott.
"We live in Melbourne, which was named the best city in the world for 2026, but it's totally unsustainable. We need to make a lot of shifts to begin to think about how we can flourish.
"When we talk about the energy transition, we primarily focus on it being a technical problem, but it's not a matter of swapping one fuel source with another. It's far more systemic, and a problem that is beyond just infrastructure.
"We're treating Australia like a big mining colony again. But the question is, how do we take the risk to lead on the energy transition - and a more responsible future.
"That's exactly why RMIT has established the nation's first Regenerative Futures Institute, which will draw upon our strengths from across the university, to work on practical solutions for a fair, inclusive and more sustainable future.
"We need to think beyond the 'now'; about new measurement indices, systems and something that changes imagination. We need to think about not just sustainment but regenerative futures."
Chris Speed is Director of the Regenerative Futures Institute (RFI) and Professor of Design for Regenerative Futures at RMIT University. RFI will launch on Thursday 14 May and is the first institute of its kind in Australia. It brings together almost 40 experts from across RMIT's schools and colleges to transform education and research for a regenerative future.
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