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Past events

Sustainability Executives Roundtable: Climate Emergency

10 Feb
2020


3:15 pm - 5:30 pm

Event Details

The University of Melbourne and the Global Compact Network Australia invite you to the third Sustainability Executives Roundtable.

The theme of this Roundtable is the ‘Climate Emergency’ and will feature internationally-renowned researchers in climate science and climate politics from the University of Melbourne.

The ‘Climate Emergency’ is becoming increasingly evident as bushfires destroy parts of Queensland, 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.

To help frame your future business climate decisions, this Roundtable will present the latest data and findings on climate science and politics followed by a facilitated discussion. The Agenda for the afternoon is:

3:15pm – 3.30pm: Registrations

3:30pm – 4.00pm: Open and welcome

3:40pm – 4:10pm: Q&A with Malte Meinshausen

4:10pm – 4:40pm: Q&A with Robyn Eckersley

4:40pm – 5:20pm: Facilitated discussion by Ben Neville and Kylie Porter

5:20pm – 5:30pm: Closing and next steps

5:30pm – 6:00pm: Drinks and nibbles

The intent of the Roundtables is twofold: first, to facilitate two-way learning between sustainability executives and University researchers; and, second, to facilitate a community-of-practice amongst sustainability executives, emphasising your likeminded intent to create positive impact for your business and the planet.

 

Speakers

Associate Professor Malte Meinshausen will present the latest research on the state of the climate and national commitments. Malte is Co-Director of the Energy Transition Hub at the University of Melbourne and a Senior Researcher at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany. Since 2005, he has been a scientific advisor to the German Environmental Ministry for the international climate change negotiations under the UNFCCC. He was also a contributing author to the Fourth and Fifth Assessment Reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Prof Robyn Eckersley will present on the current state of global and national climate political negotiations and policies. Robyn is a Professor in the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Melbourne. She is a widely recognised expert in environmental philosophy, politics and policy including global environmental politics, particularly the international politics of climate change. She has been a long time and regular observer of international climate negotiations. Robyn has also been a Senior Visiting Fellow at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, at the University of Oxford and the Arne Naess Chair in Global Justice and the Environment at the University of Oslo. She was elected as a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia in 2007.

 

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.

Please direct questions to:

Associate Prof Ben Neville: banevi@unimelb.edu.au

 Executive Director, Kylie Porter: Secretariat@unglobalcompact.org.au

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