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AusSMC BRIEFING: COP out or global triumph - can the climate talks in Paris succeed?

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*Recording now available* BRIEFING – 19 November at 11:30 AEDT Online: The UN Framework on Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP21) meeting in Paris, which begins on 30 November, has been hailed as the most likely meeting to actually achieve a legally binding global climate agreement in over 20 years of UN negotiations. Many of the countries attending the conference, including Australia, have already shown their climate hand – openly declaring their future emissions targets. But are these enough to limit warming to below 2°C? And if not, what is a realistic scenario? Why is 2°C the magic number anyway? Join us for this online briefing to get prepped and ready to cover the Paris climate talks and hear from some of Australia’s leading climate science and policy experts.

Organisation/s: Australian Science Media Centre, The University of New South Wales, The Australian National University

Media release

From: Australian Science Media Centre

Recording now available - see link below.

BRIEFING – 19 November at 11:30 AEDT online

The UN Framework on Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP21) meeting in Paris, which begins on 30 November, has been hailed as the most likely meeting to actually achieve a legally binding global climate agreement in over 20 years of UN negotiations. Many of the countries attending the conference, including Australia, have already shown their climate hand – openly declaring their future emissions targets. But are these enough to limit warming to below 2°C? And if not, what is a realistic scenario? Why is 2°C the magic number anyway? Join us for this online briefing to get prepped and ready to cover the Paris climate talks and hear from some of Australia’s leading climate science and policy experts.

The briefing will discuss the following issues:

  • What pledges are being made by Australia and what are other countries bringing to the table? Will it be enough to avoid more than 2°C of warming?
  • How likely is it that we’ll jump a tipping point in the climate system and enter a phase of more sudden and/or extreme changes?
  • How will the COP21 conference run and what role will Australia play?
  • What is the current perception of Australia’s efforts in climate mitigation and has this changed since Malcolm Turnbull took office?
  • Costs and benefits of climate action - how have costs of low-carbon technology evolved, and what are the direct and immediate benefits of clean energy investment?

SPEAKERS:

  • Professor Stefan Rahmstorf is a Visiting Professorial Fellow at the University of New South Wales and an oceanographer at Germany’s Potsdam University. He is a former IPCC lead author
  • Professor Steven Sherwood is Director of the Climate Change Research Centre at the University of New South Wales
  • Associate Professor Frank Jotzo is the Director of the Centre for Climate Economics and Policy at the Australian National University

DATE: Thursday 19 November
START TIME: 11:30am AEDT
DURATION: 44 mins

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    Australian Science Media Centre
    Web page
    Briefing weblink
  •  Other
    Australian Science Media Centre
    Web page
    Briefing recording playback

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