}

Past events

Climate Emergency Roundtable

20 Feb
2020


3:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Event Details

The theme of this roundtable is the ‘Climate Emergency’ and will feature internationally-renowned researchers in climate science and climate politics, including climate expert and trailblazer Professor Michael E. Mann – Director of the Earth System Science Centre at Pennsylvania State University and one of Australia’s most recognisable political leaders, the Honourable Bob Carr.

The ‘Climate Emergency’ is becoming increasingly evident as bushfires destroy parts of Queensland and NSW, adults join their children in climate strikes, and as national, state and regional governments globally declare an official ‘Climate Emergency’. While a powerful and vocal minority maintain their denial of the science and/or a responsibility to change from business-as-usual, many large Australian businesses are leading the way. The big four banks, superfunds and insurance companies have helped drive the Sustainable Finance Initiative; Rio Tinto and BHP have exited or announced an exit from coal; and the big energy producers are at different stages of transitioning towards renewables. These actions are impressive within competitive markets and a difficult political context, yet may be insufficient to attend to the urgency and totality of effort that the climate emergency requires.

Ambitious action that meaningfully combats the growing climate emergency involves systematic change that will reduce the society’s reliance on fossil fuels for energy. For the private sector, this includes decoupling improvements in economic wellbeing from fossil fuels and leading calls for policy and regulatory developments to support these transitions.

To help frame such business climate and sustainability decisions, Professor Michael E. Mann, the GCNA and other leading climate scientists will discuss the ‘Climate Emergency’.

This event is kindly hosted by UTS Business School in Sydney.

Speakers:

Michael E. Mann is a distinguished professor of atmospheric science and Director of the Earth System Science Centre at Pennsylvania State University. He has been a leading figure in climate science for over 20 years and in 2007 was the co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for his work as the lead author in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Third Scientific Assessment Report. Professor Mann is the author of more than 200 peer-review and edited publications and four books including ‘The Hock Stick and the Climate Wars: Dispatches from the Front Lines’.

The Honourable Bob Carr is an Industry Professor (Business and Climate Change) at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). He also works with the Institute for Sustainable Futures and the UTS School of Business where he brings his unique skills and experience to a diverse set of portfolios including business and industry, international relations and climate change research and policy. The Hon Bob Carr was a former Foreign Minister of Australia and served as the Premier of NSW for 10 years.

Registration:

This event is by invitation only and we do not have the capacity to support walk-ins. If you are unable to attend and would like to send a colleague please get in contact at secretariat@unglobalcompact.org.au to discuss.

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