Event Details: The state and market are signalling their retreat from covering climate-related losses, a warning that came starkly from Günther Thallinger, an executive and board member of Allianz, the world’s largest insurer. He cautions that capitalism itself will become unviable without insurance, a scenario likely locked in once we surpass 3°C of warming.
When governments and markets withdraw, communities are left to navigate crises on their own. History shows that, in times of disruption, communities rise to fill these gaps, but what will it take to scale this capacity for an era of cascading shocks and system failures?
This session draws on Critical Signals, a three-month pilot project in Whanganui-a-Tara that offered a space for the public to explore community responses to rapid change alongside artists, activists, and knowledge-holders. Join us as we unpack lessons from this initiative and explore strategies for creating enabling conditions for community resilience and solidarity in a future defined by uncertainty.
Lecture will start promptly at 12:30pm. We encourage attendees to come early to purchase lunch from Edgewater.
Many thanks to Edgewater Hotel for sponsoring this session.
What to Expect / Key Takeaways:
Understand the Risks: Why the retreat of state and market actors from climate risk coverage signals a profound systemic shift, and what it means for communities.
Learn from Critical Signals: Insights from a pioneering initiative that combined art, activism, and policy to explore practical resilience strategies.
Actionable Pathways: Concrete steps to strengthen local commons, deepen collective capacity, and influence policy for a more enabling environment.
Meet Your Speaker:
Cost: $15 or included in your Wao Summit Better Summit Pass.
