September 28th 2011

Why is local and global action on climate change taking so long? Why are politicians, the media, scientists and industry chasing each other’s tails on the urgent issue of reducing carbon dioxide pollution? More than a year on from the anticlimactic Copenhagen climate change summit, CO² emissions are still rising. Why aren’t Australians ready to pay for measures to protect the survival of their descendents

Are you rending your hair in frustration and confusion? This interactive forum takes stock of the current CO² emissions debate and considers how a positive climate action program could work with the big polluters as well as foster community groups and households to be powerful change agents.

Associate Professor James Goodman
James Goodman conducts collaborative research into social movements that pursue global justice and climate justice. He is a political sociologist concerned with ecological change and how societies respond to it. His current work puts special emphasis on the role of grassroots mobilisation in addressing the climate crisis.

Dr Ian McGregor
Ian McGregor is a Lecturer in the UTS School of Management and researcher in the global politics of climate change, with a particular focus on the Copenhagen Climate Summit in 2009 and Cancun Climate Summit in 2010. He is also part of the Steering Committee of Climate Action Network Australia and works closely with Climate Action Network International on a variety of global climate change policy issues.

Dr Chris Riedy
Chris Riedy is a Research Director at the Institute for Sustainable Futures and President of the Climate Action Network Australia. He has particular expertise in energy policy, climate change response and sociocultural change. He works as a facilitator and change agent to help deliver personal, organisational, systemic and cultural responses to sustainability challenges.

Resources

• flyer (PDF 717k)

UTSPEAKS: is a free public lecture series presented by UTS experts discussing a range of important issues confronting contemporary Australia