Climate change is about to be centre stage of world events with the COP27 talks set to begin in Egypt on November 6 but as NZILA/BECA Landscape Architect Craig Pocock notes, it has been a big month for his Carbon Landscape and as he says “validation is important because change often follows.'‘

For the uninitiated Craig is the Carbon Landscape pioneer, he developed the concept after starting to look at the carbon impacts of landscape architecture from design and implementation to maintenance back in 2004.

He delivered the opening keynote at the IFLA world congress in South Korea and spoke again at last month’s 2022 NZILA Firth Conference. We will have more on his NZILA presentation tomorrow.

This opportunity was especially valued, he says, as it came after receiving the NZILA President’s Award for Recognition in International Achievement as well as an NZILA Award of Excellence in Research and Communication for the Carbon Footprint of Urban Rain Gardens.

“It has been a big month for the Carbon Landscape both on an international and national stage and hopefully carbon mitigation change in our landscape and urban environments is around the corner,” he says.

Of the IFLA world congress in Gwangju, South Korea in September, Craig says:

“To deliver the carbon landscape to an international audience on the opening day of the IFLA world congress was a privilege but more importantly gave mana to an idea that originates out of Aotearoa. The carbon landscape not only reflects kaitiaki values unique to Aotearoa but an original idea about two decades ahead of its time.

“The 45-minute presentation came and went quickly, however it ignited three days of conversations with international IFLA leaders around the issues of carbon mitigation in our urban environments and city-wide open space networks.”

Craig believes New Zealand is significantly ahead of the carbon mitigation kaupapa.

“I am not just talking about carbon calculations but understanding where carbon cost sits within all our diverse environments. The following days of international design presentations, that I managed to see, never referenced carbon reduction, mitigation or offsetting which was ironic considering the super typhoon that was in the East China sea heading north towards South Korea, Gwangju region and congress at the time.

“There is still a long way to go but there is an opportunity for New Zealand to continue to lead and innovate in this carbon mitigation space if we engage with it.”Craig believes there is an issue within globalisation of design and western ideals being applied to Asian landscapes, undermining their unique heritage, culture, and sense of place.

“This is an issue not only in Korea but many countries around the world. During the IFLA congress I did not see a single project presented that acknowledged first nation engagement in a landscape project or how a design reflected first nations values or aspirations. There is clearly a significant gap in international design thinking to be addressed.”

He says Aotearoa New Zealand is significantly ahead on the international stage in cultural integration in landscape architecture.

“New Zealand has committed to this Kaupapa for the last decade, and we are still on our journey. However, considering the rate of damage design globalisation is currently impacting upon cultural landscapes internationally maybe there is a responsibility on our people to share our journey and learnings a bit more than we do.”