Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner wants the Queensland capital to host a United Nations climate conference in 2026.
Cr Schrinner is in the Egyptian city of Sharm El Sheikh this week to take part in the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties (COP 27) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
He said Federal Environment Minister Matt Bowen wanted Australia and the Pacific Islands to jointly host a UN COP event in 2026 and that he had put his hand up to host the event "on behalf of Brisbane".
"[Being invited to COP27] is one of the opportunities that comes out of Brisbane's hosting of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This is the first time we've been invited," he said.
"We know the Pacific islands are some of the places that are experiencing and will experience the devastating impacts of climate change so it's appropriate to do it together."
Cr Schrinner said there was "no better place" to base the event than Brisbane.
"We are the closest Australian state to the Pacific islands, we have easy access in and out of Brisbane to those islands, and it'll be about the mid point between now and the 2032 Olympic Games," he said.
"We can talk about preparations for Olympics, sustainability of the city, and what the state is achieving with its renewable energy plan.
"There are a whole heap of reasons why Brisbane would be the perfect location to have those 30,000 delegates come to the city."
UN award for sustainability
Brisbane has just been awarded a silver certification in the UN Habitat's Sustainable Development Goals Cities program, which lists 17 aims for the world's cities to strive for including empowering women and girls, providing affordable and clean energy, and ensuring responsible consumption and production.
Silver is the first level of certification and cities can work through gold and platinum to diamond.
Cr Schrinner said sustainability was an area Brisbane was "leading the charge in and something we should be proud of".
"Cities like Brisbane have suffered the impact of natural disasters, which have been increasing," he said.
"This is obviously a real challenge for us.
"Our community has become more resilient, councils have become more resilient and this is something the cities are at the forefront of responding to."
