Ocean Circulation and Climate: Observing and Modelling the Global Ocean
The oceans are a critical component of the climate system, storing roughly 1000 times as much heat, and 50 times as much carbon, as the atmosphere. In this talk, Professor David Marshall (21st Century Ocean Institute, University of Oxford) will discuss the challenges of predicting the evolution of a complex system that is grossly under-sampled and spans a bewildering range of scales in both space and time. These challenges will be illustrated through the important but over-sensationalised proble
Climate change
Climate change is a key issue on today’s social and political agenda. This unit explores the basic science that underpins climate change and global warming.
Environment: Treading lightly on the Earth
This unit focuses on the problem of green-house gas emissions, especially carbon dioxide, and explores what you can do to lighten those emissions to help reduce the rate of climate change.
Freedom from Oil
Based on his book, Freedom from Oil, Sandalow gives a public lecture which draws on both his government experience and energy expertise to explore options, shape solutions and create national policy to address the United States' oil addiction. David Sandalow is Energy and Environment Scholar and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. He is the author of Freedom from Oil (McGraw-Hill October 2007). Sandalow is Chair of the Energy and Climate Working Group of the Clinton Global Initiative.
Blueprint for a Safer Planet
Professor Lord Nicholas Stern, a world renowned economist and leading authority on climate change, came to the 21st Century School on Thursday 7 May to give a lecture about his "Blueprint for a Safer Planet". Professor Lord Nicholas Stern, a world renowned economist and leading authority on climate change, came to the 21st Century School on Thursday 7 May to give a lecture about his "Blueprint for a Safer Planet". Lord Stern made headlines in 2006 with the publication of the influential Stern Re
Repairing Economic Governance
Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and internationally renowned economic advisor, talks about the need to take a systematic long view in repairing international economic governance structures. Professor Sachs is the Director of The Earth Institute, Quetelet Professor of Sustainable Development, and Professor of Health Policy and Management at Columbia University. He is also Special Advisor to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. From 2002 t
Geoengineering the climate
Geoengineering the climate: Science, Governance and Uncertainty: The Royal Society Study - John Shepherd (NOCS) The climate change we are experiencing now is caused by an increase in greenhouse gases due to human activities, including burning fossil fuels, agriculture and deforestation. There is now widespread belief that a global warming of greater than 2C above pre-industrial levels would be dangerous and should therefore be avoided. However, despite growing concerns over climate change, gl
Climate change and marine ecosystems: have dangerous changes already begun?
Special seminar from the James Martin 21st Century School: Climate change and marine ecosystems: have dangerous changes already begun? The Earth's ocean is central to the conditions experienced on our planet, regulating its atmosphere, climate and biology. Recent evidence, however, suggests that the physical and chemical conditions within the ocean are changing in ways that are rapidly moving outside those experienced for millions of years with major changes to ocean temperature, acidity, sea ic
The Cork in the Bottle: The Changing Climate of U.S. Politics
Professor David Orr discusses US climate policy and in particular the President's Climate Action Project which he helped to launch and fund. This project aims at the initial climate actions in the first 100 days of the next US administration.
Three and a half days into the climate negotiations -Insights by Farhana Yamin
IDs Farhana Yamin is an international lawyer with 20 years experience in climate negotiations. She shares her insights on the negotiations from the media room at COP15. What is happening at the negotiations? What has been the impact of 'Climate gate'? What can we expect over the next couple of days?
Episode 65: Effects of Climate Change on Biodiversity Prof Ary Hoffmann and Dr Michael Kearney discuss the effects of climate change on biodiversity, and how our quality of life could be adversely affected. With host Shane Huntington. Prof Ary Hoffmann - Episode 107: Getting it on the grid: Integrating renewable energy into our power supplies Energy and climate change analyst Dr Roger Dargaville weaves together diverse technical, economic and environmental factors to produce a model for better, smarter use of our energy supplies. With science host Dr Shane Huntington. Consolidating & Reaching Out: Europe as a Global Actor In the Wake of Economic Reform: New Prospects for a National Building State Must Climate Change End The Platinum Age 2008 K R Narayanan Oration Why Environmentalism Needs Equity Quarry Vision: Coal, Climate Change and the End of the Resources Boom Building on Kyoto: Towards a Realistic Global Climate Agreement and What Australia Should Do Thirsty Work More than meets the eye: conservation as a public health imperative
The European Union (EU) has huge potential to enhance its influence in
the world with its 27 Member States and almost 500 million citizens.
Europe is also increasingly connected to the Asia-Pacific area – in
terms of economic relations, crisis management, global environment and
climate issues.
What are the challenges for the external relations of Europe? How to
tap the potential of the Europe-Australia relationship? This address is
a unique opportunity to listen to the views of the Preside
Has economic reform run its course? What potential remains for the
resumption of nation building progress? Contrary to expectations
Canberra emerges from 20 years of neo-liberalism with disciplined
government, ample revenues, an effective regulative apparatus and –
perhaps – the capacity for government to steer the economy towards a
brighter future.
In this lecture, Professor Pusey weighs these prospects against the
negative impacts of neo-liberalism on our institutions and th
In the inaugural S.T. Lee Lecture on Asia and the Pacific Professor
Garnaut asks: How the risks of climate change will interact with the
'Platinum Age' of global economic growth? What are the limits for
global emissions within which the world will need to live if the risk
of dangerous climate change is to be kept within acceptable bounds?
What principles could be reasonably applied to the allocation of a
global emissions budget amongst countries? What global emissions budget
would make sense for
"Why Environmentalism Needs Equity: Learning from the environmentalism of the poor to build our common future". Ms Sunita Narain, Director of the Centre for Science & Environment; Director of the Society for Environmental Communications; and publisher of the fortnightly magazine 'Down to Earth', has been with the Centre from 1982 and has worked hard at analysing and studying the relationship between environment and development, and at creating public consciousness about the need for sus
In this lecture Dr Guy Pearse will spoke about the mindset that sees Australia's greatest asset as its mineral and energy resources - coal especially, asking how has this distorted our national politics and our response to climate change and what happens now that our coal-fired resources boom has gone bust? He also discussed the future of the coal industry and argued with the current economic orthodoxy. He looks at the shadowy world of greenhouse lobbyists; how they thin
As a mechanism for controlling climate change, the Kyoto Protocol has not been a success. Over the decade from it’s signing in 1997 to the beginning of its first commitment period in 2008, greenhouse gas emissions in industrial countries subject to targets under the protocol did not fall as the protocol intended. Instead, emissions in many countries rose rapidly. Moreover, emissions have increased substantially in countries such as China, which were not bound by the protocol but which will
Rod Quantock says, "If climate change doesn't scare you, then you don't get the science." Fortunately Quantock does, and when he gives you his take on the physics, chemistry, biology, geology, palaeontology, cosmology and meteorology of climate science you'll get it too. And then... you'll be scared. It's win-win. Sounds like great fun doesn't? It's an edgy mix of panic and hysteria. But that's what you'd expect from someone whose comedy has been described as ‘medicinal'. In his irreverent
Biodiversity loss, namely a reduction in the variety of life on Earth, continues relatively unabated worldwide. Biodiversity loss represents far more than a loss to experience nature's beauty or to benefit economically from nature. The simplification of the biosphere has profound and well-known consequences for human well-being. Biodiversity serves as a repository for new medicines and as a source of insights into human disease. It can provide a check up on the spread of infectious diseases and
