From ben.davies at anu.edu.au  Fri Sep  5 03:28:49 2008
From: ben.davies at anu.edu.au (Ben Davies)
Date: Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:28:49 +1000
Subject: [Peakoil-announce] ANU Public lecture (11 September 2008): Towards
 the Storm: Australia in an Age of Peril & Opportunity
Message-ID: <48C0A771.7080104@anu.edu.au>

Towards the Storm: Australia in an Age of Peril & Opportunity
http://billboard.anu.edu.au/event_view.asp?id=33346

In this lecture Professor Gleeson will consider the principal social and ecological threats facing Australia, especially climate change and declining solidarity, and outline some ways in which these will need to be confronted and addressed.

The underlying theme is that we need, as a nation, to shift our collective ambition away from endless, mindless growth towards a new dispensation favouring modesty, solidarity, and sustainability. To deal with the threats already breaking upon us we will need to adopt a singular focus on achieving resilience. The storm is already upon us and we must make for safe harbour, for resilient ground, as quickly as possible. Once there we should take steps to cement our new dispensation with Nature.

Professor Brendan Gleeson has authored and edited nine books, some jointly, on a range of social scientific and environmental themes including disability, environmental theory and policy, urbanisation and urban policy, and the well being of children. His books have received international and national awards including the inaugural John Iremonger Award for Public Writing in 2004. He is presently working on a new book, Towards the Storm: Australia in an age of threat and opportunity.


This lecture is free and open to the public.
Presented by the Fenner School of Environment and Society.
Speaker/Host: 	Fenner School of Environment and Society
Venue: 	The Manning Clark Centre, Theatre 2, Building 26A
Date: 	Thursday, 11 September 2008
Time: 	6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Enquiries: 	ANU Events on 6125 4144 


From ben.davies at anu.edu.au  Fri Sep  5 03:35:33 2008
From: ben.davies at anu.edu.au (Ben Davies)
Date: Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:35:33 +1000
Subject: [Peakoil-announce] ANU public lecture: 9 Sept (6:00PM-7:30PM)
 Climate Tipping Points: the Science and the Politics
Message-ID: <48C0A905.2070900@anu.edu.au>

From: http://billboard.anu.edu.au/event_view.asp?id=33504

Part 1 - by Andrew Glikson - Earth scientist researching the history of Earth, mass extinction of species and climate change.

Studies of Antarctica and Greenland ice cores indicate abrupt warming events during the recent history of Earth, triggered by solar forcing and reaching decade-scale tipping points, were related to ice melt/warm water feedback effects and carbon cycle feedbacks from warming oceans and drying biosphere. Current climate change, forced by the infra-red radiation effects of CO2 and CH4 derived from the burning of over 300 billion tons of Carbon, accelerated from the mid-1970s, is threatening to reach tipping points. According to leading US climate scientists the current CO2 levels of 387 ppm are already at dangerous levels, calling for urgent reduction in carbon emissions as well as attempts at developing CO2 draw-down technologies.

Part 2 - by Geoff Davies - The Hopeful, Neglected Path

Most of the public discussion of global warming misses key points, and our best opportunities. The policy debate should not be about whether human-caused global warming is "proven" - in strictest terms it is not. The policy debate should start from the best collective judgement of scientists, which is very clear, that there's a high risk we are causing global warming. The quickest and cheapest way to cut greenhouse emissions is to cut energy waste dramatically. This will actually save money in the early stages. Renewable energy sources then become sufficient and cost-effective. Politics as usual is failing. The major parties only hear the polluters whispering in their ears. We need people to reclaim politics and the Parliament.
Speaker/Host: 	Andrew Glikson & Geoff Davies/ANU Zero Emissions Society
Venue: 	Manning Clark Centre Theatre 1
Date: 	Tuesday, 9 September 2008
Time: 	6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Website: 	http://www.anuzeroemissions.org/
Enquiries: 	Katja Grace on 0407 124 549