The Australian Government’s emissions reduction target will join those of the international community in Paris in December. It is likely that the sum total of these contributions will not be consistent with the internationally agreed objective of keeping the average global temperature increase to less than two degrees Celsius. How will this play out in Paris and what does the target imply for the energy sector? Tom Arup from The Age discussed this issue with David Karoly, Professor of Atmospheric Science at the University of Melbourne and Member of the Climate Change Authority, Anthea Harris, previously CEO of the Authority and now occupying a senior role in the Victorian Government and Tony Wood from Grattan Institute.
Moderator
Tom Arup is the environment editor for The Age.
Speakers
Tony Wood has been Energy Program Director at Grattan since 2011 after 14 years working at Origin Energy in senior executive roles. From 2009 to 2014 he was also Program Director of Clean Energy Projects at the Clinton Foundation, advising governments in the Asia-Pacific region on effective deployment of large-scale, low-emission energy technologies. In 2008, he was seconded to provide an industry perspective to the first Garnaut climate change review.
Anthea Harris is Lead Deputy Secretary, Strategy and Planning at the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources. Formerly Chief Executive Officer of the Climate Change Authority, Anthea is an experienced senior executive with a strong record of leading the collaborative development and delivery of strategic policy for both State and Federal Governments. Anthea has previously held senior roles within the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, led the Secretariat for the National Emissions Trading Taskforce and held positions with the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet and at the Productivity Commission.
David Karoly is Professor of Atmospheric Science in the School of Earth Sciences and the A.R.C. Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science at the University of Melbourne. He is an internationally recognised expert on climate change and climate variability and was heavily involved in the assessment reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for more than two decades. David is a member of the Climate Change Authority, which provides advice to the Australian government on responding to climate change, including targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. He is also a member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists. Recently, he was awarded the 2015 Royal Society of Victoria Medal for Scientific Excellence in Earth Sciences.
