Richie Merzian joins ICRR as Adjunct Fellow

Richie Merzian will speak at the ICRR Industry Forum on October 23 about Australia’s unique opportunity to co-host COP31 with Pacific island nations and the current climate policy landscape.

The clean energy technology is ready. The finance is waiting. The data is abundant. So why, asks Richie Merzian, are we still struggling to act on climate?

“It’s not an information deficit,” he says. “It’s not a tech or finance problem. It’s policy delays, planning bottlenecks, and human coordination. That’s where we get stuck.” 

Richie Merzian, newly appointed Adjunct Fellow at the UNSW Institute for Climate Risk & Response (ICRR), brings nearly two decades of experience in climate policy, spanning roles as Australia’s UN climate negotiator and leadership positions across think tanks and industry groups.

And with COP 31 potentially landing in Australia in 2026, he believes the opportunity to overcome these human hurdles has never been greater.  

“We’ve got the tech. We’ve got the capital. What we don’t have is the coordination,” he says. “Implementation is messy, and political. It’s human.”

Climate risk, he says, is split across jurisdictions, sectors, and timelines. Local governments bear the brunt but lack the resources. State governments wrestle with planning reform. Federal agencies juggle competing mandates. Meanwhile industry needs a massive realignment to meet net zero goals.

But, he says, there are also plenty of reasons for optimism.

His appointment at ICRR comes as Australia bids to host COP31, the UN’s annual climate summit.

“COPs are this ever-growing beast, traveling to different regional locations every year, and one of the world’s largest events outside of sports.

“And what’s really expanded their size and reach isn’t the negotiations between countries—which happens in the blue zone—but what happens in the green zone, which is open to businesses, academia, and other organisations like youth groups.

“In the green zone, you see all these external players come to connect with governments and each other, and drive that action agenda.”

He says this “action agenda” has grown significantly, driven by economics.

“The cheapest power you can make right now is on your rooftop, followed by solar and wind farms.

“So anyone looking to expand into energy is going to have renewables front and centre.

“And since we’re all on this journey, a global hub like COP is the right space to do it.”

He says COP31 could be an inflection point for Australia. “It’s like Red Bull for climate action,” he says. “It brings scrutiny, ambition, and investment. It forces coordination.”

And the partnership to co-host the event with the Pacific, he says, adds moral weight.

Pacific nations collectively account for less than 0.03% of global emissions, yet they face some of the most severe climate impacts—such as sea level rise, stronger cyclones, and food security threats.

“They’re the reason we have the 1.5°C guardrail,” he says. “They’ll be our conscience.”

Asia, meanwhile, offers economic leverage.

“It’s where most emissions are coming from, most energy is consumed, and most climate solutions are manufactured.”

Australia, he says, sits at the nexus—an energy exporter with the potential to lead on green exports, if it can overcome its internal inertia.

More than 70% of Australia’s large-scale renewable assets are already foreign-owned, he says, and international investors are increasingly drawn to its potential.

“We’re stable, skilled, and backed by a government willing to act.

“That makes Australia a cauldron for experimenting with high-renewables penetration and building the green exports of the future.”

The psychology of climate action

Richie Merzian says understanding the psychological barriers—and how we approach trust, risk, and identity—is crucial if we’re going to take advantage of this position.

“Australia won’t move away from fossil fuels until it feels secure in its clean energy future,” he says. “That’s true for governments, investors, and communities.”

He points to the reluctance of state governments to close coal-fired power stations, despite strong targets.

“They’re worried about reliability, about backlash, and about being blamed.”

That fear, he says, is rational—but surmountable.

“We need to build confidence. That’s where hosting COP31 can help—bringing more resources, ideas, and attention to the problem than ever before.”

Everything follows electricity

In his current role as head of the Clean Energy Investor Group, Richie Merzian represents global and local institutional investors who own Australia’s renewable assets and are investing in the pipeline of new solar, wind, battery, and hydro projects.

“Electricity is a third of our emissions, but it’s the cornerstone,” he says.

“You can’t decarbonise transport or industry without clean power.”

“NSW has the best prospects of all the states right now to decarbonise quickly,” he says, citing efforts to reform planning systems and build renewable energy zones. “But it still takes years to get a wind farm from idea to operation. That’s a planning and policy problem.”

He’s hoping that his understanding of the friction points between policy, planning, and public engagement will help support ICRR collaborations in the future.

“UNSW isn’t just talking about sustainability—it’s doing the hard work,” he says, pointing to the university’s legacy in solar photovoltaics innovation and research in green statecraft and climate accountability.

“We need outfits willing to lean in before there’s clarity—who can operate in uncertainty. That’s what the ICRR is doing.”