august 26th 2009: free public symposium and book launch
The Institute of Environmental Studies recently organised a free Public Symposium and Book Launch on the theme Climate Action: How Citizens Acting Together can Save the Planet.
Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate Change: Trade off or complement?
The first in the IES 2009 series of environmental and development fora featured renowned climatologist, Dr Stephen Schneider from Stanford University in the USA.
This event took place on Monday 16th March at 10:30 am in Leighton Hall, John Niland Scientia Building. Over 200 people participated in the seminar, which was filmed for posterity:
NOVEMBER 28 2008: fORUM ON CONSERVATION THROUGH SUSTAINABLE USE
From South Africa to Australia
The focus of this seminar was on sustainable use as a parallel and compatible conservation strategy to protected
areas.
Associate Professor John Merson, Director of the Institute of Environmental Studies at UNSW, gave an introduction then Professor Koos Bothma, former Director of the Centre for Wildlife
Management at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, described how CSU strategies have been applied in South Africa and outlined the benefits and pitfalls such as
unforeseen harmful and beneficial consequences.
Peter Ampt, Manager of the Future of Australia's Threatened Ecosystems (FATE) Program at UNSW responded on CSU in Australia and how we
might learn from the South African experience.
Dr. Rosie Cooney provided an international perspective as a
result of her work with IUCN and CITES.
NOVEMBER 2008: PUBLIC LECTURE ON POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT
From Vicious Circles to Virtuous Cycles through Built Environment Design
Dr Janis Birkeland, Professor of Architecture at QUT where she teaches green building, eco-retrofitting, greenhouse solutions and eco-innovation gave a talk explaining how urban areas can generate clean energy, water, air, soil, and biodiversity - and also have net positive social and ecological impacts.
This event involved a presentation lecture by Janis followed by Dr Mark Diesendorf
launching her book 'Positive Development:
From Vicious Circles to Virtuous Cycles through Built Environment Design'
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 (CSE) in New Delhi, was in Australia at the invitation of the Australia South Asia Research Centre at ANU, supported by the Australia-India Council. She gave a presentation lecture which was followed by an open discussion forum.
Other topics pursued during this seminar included solar energy: information on innovative applications of the technology; rainwater harvesting; re-use of sewerage; impacts of drought on Australia and strategies to address this; Australian plans for carbon sequestration; how the issue of climate change is being perceived in Australia under the new government; the implementation of Australian water regulations, including water efficiency ratings on appliances; and mitigation issues, including Australia's plan to reduce emissions.
Climate Change, Migration and Environmental Refugees.
Footage is now available of this event which included presentations from Professor Andy Pitman, Dr Jane McAdam and Anna Samson from the Refugee Council of Australia followed by an interactive discussion.
Footage is now available of this event which comprised a free public lecture from German Greens MP Hans-Josef Fell, father of the successful feed-in tariffs now being implemented in over 50 countries around the world, on practical steps to combat climate change.
For more information on any of our public events, please contact the IES Public Events Coordinator Sarah Terkes on s.terkes@unsw.edu.au
Page Updated: Nov 2008
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