Australians can’t afford to think that the climate change issue stops with an emissions trading scheme (ETS) or at the UN’s COP15 conference in Copenhagen later this year – that’s the message a group of experts from The Australian National University illustrated at a climate summit this week.
Researchers from all the academic colleges at ANU took part in the ANU Climate Change Institute Open Day on Monday 27 July 2009. Topics on the table started at the local level – including approaches to mitigation and adaptation around the nation’s capital – and telescoped out to the national and international levels.
“The discussions about an emissions trading scheme for Australia, and how we as a nation approach the COP15 conference in December, are very important matters,” said Professor Will Steffen, Director of the ANU Climate Change Institute. “But it’s vital that these kinds of policy discussions are informed by the latest research on all the issues connected to climate change. That’s why we think it’s important to share the breadth of research under way at ANU with the wider public.”
On the Australian front, experts at the open day considered the impacts of climate change on Indigenous people, how smart grids can help solve our future energy problems, plus the role of the nation’s ecosystems in mitigating the greenhouse effect.
At the regional and global level, researchers discussed how the world’s oceans interact with the atmosphere, the impacts of glacier melt in Asia, and how different developing nations are approaching climate policy.
The day culminated in a panel discussion featuring leading thinkers on issues connected to climate change, including health impacts, economics, technology, law, international relations, developing nations and science.
Sample the ANU Climate Change Institute Open Day
Hear from three participants about what they covered at the Open Day.
Professor Tony Capon (mp3 / 978Kb / 4 mins 10 secs)
National Centre for Epidemiology & Population Health, ANU College of Medicine, Biology & Environment
Climate change is likely to lead to more heat-related health problems in Australia, but it could also generate indirect problems for public health and mental illness.
Professor David Hill (mp3 / 1.31Mb / 5 mins 44 secs)
Research School of Information Science & Engineering, ANU College of Engineering & Computer Science
The concept of a ’smart grid’ could be the answer to an energy future where volatility and uncertainty are key problems.
Professor Brendan Mackey (mp3 / 1.6Mb / 6 mins 59 secs)
Fenner School of Environment & Society, ANU College of Medicine, Biology & Environment
Understanding the global carbon cycle shows that offsetting CO2 from fossil fuel burning is not as simple as planting more trees.
