EVENT: The Climate is changing: are we adapting?

The climate is changing: are we adapting?

A panel discussion.

With 2014 officially declared the hottest year on record we are once again reminded that climate change is not only something we must be planning for but we must be taking action on now. On a Wednesday evening at the Griffith University Gold Coast campus IMPACT @ Griffith Sciences hosted a wide ranging discussion drawing upon expertise in climate change policy, particularly with respect to the upcoming UNFCCC Paris Conference, and how Australia is adapting to a changing climate at local and state levels of Government:

List of questions

Skip through the video to find your area of interest:

  • 1:15       – Professor Brendan Mackey’s introductory statement
  • 6:50      – Can we live within the 2 degrees Celsius guardrail?
  • 9:40      – Professor Jean Palutikof’s introductory statement
  • 15:40    – How do we marshal scientific evidence in support of political arguments?
  • 18:00    – Mr John Lane’s introductory statement
  • 22:30    – What is the balance of responsibility between the different levels of Government?25
  • 25:30    – Should the State Government be providing better information about likely impacts of climate change?
  • 30:30    – Should scientific papers be re-written every two years to remain relevant?
  • 38:40   – Is there a role for greater communication of these issues with the general public?
  • 41:00    – Where are local governments up to nationally and what is on their minds?
  • 44:30    – Has QLD Govt. mapped climate change corridors and what policy level will it progress to?
  • 48:30    – What is the current QLD Govt. planning on taking on bilateral agreements?
  • 51:00    – What is the role of social science communication in climate change issues?
  • 57:50    – How is Australia adapting to the global trends on climate change?
  • 1:06:30 – When will we know what we need to adapt to?
  • 1:10:00 – What kind of changes has the panel seen in how science engages on the issue of climate change?
  • 1:13:00 – What is happening in the interaction between science, government and private industry?
  • 1:15:00 – There is a sound issue from this point in video, sorry.
  • 1:19:00 – Should we just build sea walls and stop mitigation?

Prof Brendan MackeyProfessor Brendan Mackey is the Director of Griffith University’s Climate Change Response Program. The Program leads Griffith University’s research into climate change adaptation and mitigation. The program promotes a multidisciplinary approach to climate change research inclusive of the environmental, social, economic and governance dimensions. Brendan has a PhD in ecology from the Australian National University. He has written nearly 200 academic publications in the fields of environmental conservation, climate change, and sustainable development. He currently serves on the governing Council of the IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

AnchorProf. Jean Palutikof Professor Jean Palutikof is Director of the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility, having previously managed the production of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report for Working Group II (Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability), while based at the UK Met Office.
Her research interests focus on climate change impacts and adaptation, and the communication of knowledge to adaptation decision-makers. A particular interest is extreme events and how to manage these in a changing world. She was a lead author for Working Group II of the IPCC Second and Third Assessment Reports, and a Review Editor for the Fifth Assessment. She has authored more than 200 papers, articles and reports on the topic of climate change and climate variability.

John LaneAnchorJohn Lane is the Director, Environment Planning at Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection. John is an urban and regional planner who has worked in the environment and natural resource management field for 30 years. He has worked in Victoria, small island states of the south west Pacific and in Queensland. In his present role he is responsible for using planning mechanisms of the Queensland Sustainable Planning Act and the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act to meet EHP’s jurisdictional objectives at local, regional and State level, and has policy responsibility for coastal protection and management and climate change.

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