Energy, Climate and the World in Flux

The world is in motion. Energy systems, climate dynamics and geopolitics are shifting all at once, colliding, overlapping and transforming in ways that defy prediction, but new patterns are emerging below the surface.

This rare event convened by SA Futures Agency, MOD. and Future Energy Week brings global foresight leader Jeremy Bentham, Co-Chair of the World Energy Scenarios and former Head of Shell Scenarios to Adelaide for an evening of deep, interactive conversation that will help us explore how these global transformations intersect – and what they mean for both Australia and South Australia in the decade ahead.

Jeremy Bentham will be joined by Professor Mark Lawrence from the University of Adelaide and former Expert Principal at McKinsey and Chief Risk Officer at ANZ Bank, who brings deep insight into the links between climate change, energy transition and global financial systems; Michelle Howie, who bridges innovation and energy transition at SA Power Networks and as a Future Energy Leader representing Australia in the World Energy Council; and Heather Smith, Chair of CORENA (Citizens Own Renewable Energy Network Australia) and a leading advocate for community energy and local transitions. The conversation will be facilitated by Professor Ariella Helfgott, University of Adelaide, Director of SA Futures Agency and one of Australia’s leading foresight practitioners.

Together, they bring perspectives that stretch from the global to the deeply local, from system design to human experience. Rather than offering answers, this conversation will explore patterns emerging around us, such as:

• Fragmentation of Transitions – as different parts of the world move along divergent energy paths.

• Tensions in the current coexistence of the Old and the New – fossil and clean, extraction and regeneration, competing and co-evolving.

• New Geographies of Influence – where cables, grids, and minerals are strategic and new partnerships are forged that rewire production, trade, technology and demand in pursuit of resilience.

• The front of Transformation is local and everyday – where decisive shifts are how fast motors replace engines, heat pumps replace boilers and grids learn to absorb variable renewables.

• The Acceleration of Change – as the climate clock, digital disruption, and social urgency outpace the institutions designed for a slower world.

Through these patterns, we’ll ask: what kind of agency do we have and how can foresight help us act with clarity, courage and care in a world in flux?

This isn’t just a debate or a lecture, it’s a collective act of sense-making: an invitation to look beyond the noise, see the deeper patterns at play and imagine how we might navigate them together. A session for those seeking clarity amid uncertainty and inspiration to act.