Program

The Blue Mountains City Council is proud to announce that prominent Australian actor and environmentalist, Jack Thompson, has been appointed as the Conference Patron.

As well as being a major figure in Australian Cinema, he has a great passion for making a difference to the environment and climate change. He recently attended and spoke at length about this passion at the 2009 Landcare Awards in Port Macquarie.

He is keen to see a difference made to combat climate change through the practical approach of local communities and believes this can be achieved through the exchange of information and shared education of like minded individuals at the Local Climate Local Change Conference 2010.

He balanced the earlier part of his acting career with the role of a Goodwill Ambassador with the United Nations. He is best known for films such as Sunday Too Far Away (1975), The Man from Snowy River (1982) and Breaker Morant (1980). He won Cannes and AFI acting awards for the latter film. He was recipient of a Living Legend Award at the 2005 Inside Film Awards.

Dr Susanne Becken
Associate Professor at Lincoln University, New Zealand
Director of the Land Environment and People (LEaP) Research Centre.

Presentation Title: Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation - Implications for Communities with a Particular Focus on Tourism

Susanne is currently leading two government-funded programmes on ‘Tourism and Oil’ and ‘Preparing the Tourism Sector for Climate Change’. Susanne is on the editorial boards of the Journal of Sustainable Tourism and the International Tourism Review, is a Resource Editor for Annals of Tourism Research, and represents Asia-Pacific on the World Meteorological Organisation’s Expert Team on Climate and Tourism. She acted as a contributing author to the Fourth IPCC Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change and she was an invited member of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation delegation at the UNFCCC conference in Bali. Susanne has also undertaken international consultancy work for organisations.

John Connor
CEO, Climate Change Institute

Presentation Title: Emerging Adaptation and Mitigation Issues

John Connor joined the Climate Institute in March 2007 as Chief Executive Officer. He initially trained as a lawyer and worked as a research assistant for a Judge in the Land and Environment Court of NSW. After a stint as an environmental consultant to business he became a researcher for Dr Peter Macdonald the Independent member for Manly, during and after his role in holding the balance of power for the minority coalition government of the time. From there he ran the Nature Conservation Council of NSW and then moved to the Australian Conservation Foundation helping forge links with farmers and business developing solutions on salinity and climate change. John most recently worked for World Vision where he co-convened the Make Poverty History campaign.

John Hunter
Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre

Presentation Title: How Should we cope with the Risk of Sea-Level Rise?

John Hunter works as an Oceanographer at the Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre, which is based in the University of Tasmania. His current interests are the sea-level rise induced by climate change and the response of Antarctic Ice Shelves to global warming. His interest in sea-level rise was initially stimulated in the mid-1990s by his work (with others) on the historic sea-level mark at the Isle of the Dead, Port Arthur, which indicated where sea level was in 1841. This was one of the first such marks struck anywhere in the world for the scientific investigation of sea level. Recent work has involved investigations of sea-level rise in Australia, the US, and in the Indian Ocean and Pacific regions, and the way in which this rise increases the frequency of flooding events.

John has a keen interest in seeing that the science of climate change is accurately communicated, not distorted by the so-called "climate sceptics" and is appropriately incorporated into public policy.

Ms Lyn Gunter
Mayor of Murrindindi, Victoria

Presentation Title: A Community with Climatic Event Lessons: Listen and Learn for your Recovery Program!

You may be familiar with the factors leading to Victoria's Black Saturday - a preceding week of exceptional heatwave with peaks of 45.1°C caused by a confluence of extreme weather conditions coupled with the impacts of a major drought and a 50 year warming trend linked to climate change - imagine IT!! As the Mayor of Murrindindi drew on her extensive experience both as a controller in the Victorian State Emergency Services and as an elected local government area representative, not even she had could have predicted the outcomes that were to be faced by the community at the end of Black Saturday. Her leadership role since those events in the community consultation, necessary for not only healing but moving forward on the community rebuilding program, means she is at the forefront of the lessons a community learns from such an event. Lyn's community is seeking opportunities to educate other communities on adapting and mitigating for climate change and these are lessons you need for your community.

Daniel O’Doherty
Winner of the 2008 Action Against Climate Change Eureka Schools Prize

Presentation Title: The Future is in these Hands

Daniel O’Doherty surveyed students at his school about their school travel habits and calculated carbon emissions, comparing results for different age groups and travel methods. A video based on the project, “Eric and Julie Go to School” won Daniel the prestigious Eureka Prize for Action Against Climate Change in 2008.

Daniel found that if all students caught the bus emissions could be reduced by 80%. However there were many reasons for students not catching the bus. Analysis of these reasons led Daniel to propose a number of practical strategies to encourage greater use of public transport, as well as a mitigation plan to offset emissions.  The research and strategies could easily be replicated by schools or local government authorities to raise awareness among students and parents, and to promote behavioural and policy change.  The Eureka Prize generated a lot of interest. In 2009 the Australian Museum invited Daniel to be an ambassador for the 20th Anniversary Eureka Prizes.  This led to an invitation to appear on ABCTV’s Catalyst – an experience which has enthused Daniel about a potential future in science communication.

Mr Richard Neville, Consultant
Future Climate Changes Issues for Communities

Presentation Title: A Community in Change: Learning from an Emergency

Richard Neville is an Australian author and "futurist", who came to fame as a co-editor of the counterculture magazine Oz in Australia and the UK in the 1960s and early 1970s. 
In New York in 1977, Richard was commissioned to write resulting biography of Charles Sobhraj, (co-authored by Julie Clarke), a global best-seller. 

Richard returned to Australia in the 80's and joined Channel 9’s popular Mid-Day Show, where he reported on popular culture, wild ideas and the quest for sustainability. Richard’s segments often aroused controversy, as when he inhaled on camera (to test the impact of marijuana on driving). These segments evolved into the Channel Ten series, Extra Dimensions, looking at sustainability and human potential.

In the 90’s, in a variety of media, Richard explored the new role for business in the 21st Century. This led to keynote addresses at national conferences, and the essay collection, Out of My Mind (Penguin). He also published his Sixties memoir, Hippie Hippie Shake, as well as co-launching the Australian Futures Foundation in order to bring futures thinking into the mainstream.

Mr Allen Kearns
Deputy Chief - CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems;
Theme Leader - Sustainable Cities and Coasts: CSIRO Climate Adaptation Flagship.

Presentation Title: A Green Collar Economy: Current and Future Reality

Allen Kearns is an environmental scientist with substantial international experience and practical expertise in the social, economic and ecological consequences of urban and industrial developments. His presentation will address the future 'green collar economy' in terms of transitioning to a more environmentally sustainable society that emits less greenhouse gases. CSIRO has established that there are currently 3 million workers employed in reducing our environmental footprint. Drawing on further CSIRO research, Allen will outline the substantial areas of agreement and opportunity on the key aspects and requirements of the future 'green collar economy' challenge.

Mr Steven Sutton
Director of Bushfires NT and Chief Fire Control Officer

Presentation Title: Putting Out the Northern Territory's Wild Fires, Ancient and Modern - Work Together West Arnhem Land Wildfire Abatement Team.

Steve Sutton is the Director of Bushfires NT and Chief Fire Control Officer. Growing up in country NSW and a qualified archaeologist, Steve found himself responsible for the management of wildfire over 1/6th of Australia in 2006. He has encouraged a mix of historic (and prehistoric) fire management practices to be used in conjunction with developing 21st Century technologies to aid Territorians manage fire in a sustainable way.