Chief Scientist for Australia, Professor Penny Sackett will today deliver a keynote address on climate change, titled Changing the World, at an event hosted by Australian Davos Connection in Melbourne.

• 03 December 2009

Chief Scientist for Australia, Professor Penny Sackett will today deliver a keynote address on climate change, titled Changing the World, at an event hosted by Australian Davos Connection in Melbourne. 

On the eve of the Copenhagen, Professor Sackett says that two things are certain regardless of the outcome of the summit.

“First, the scientific truths that have set the world on this common journey are tolling more clearly than ever the need to take immediate action on climate change.  

“Second, an incredible amount of work will still remain to be done in the wake of Copenhagen, most of it outside the realm of politics.

“The clock is ticking loudly for the world.  If we wait until 2020 to turn the annual emissions curve over from increasing every year to decreasing, we will need to either clip global emissions by a hefty 9% per year, or prepare ourselves for a considerably warmer and more severe world,” Professor Sackett said.  .

The importance of research and scientific evidence to inform Government policy will permeate Professor Sackett’s address.

“Science is at the base of this issue, it is important to review what the latest science tells us about the extent and speed of climate change.

 “Already we have committed our future to one in which the global average temperature will be 1.3 degrees higher than in pre-industrial times; even if everyone on the face of the Earth stops emitting greenhouse gases tomorrow.

“Australia must develop individual and community-based pro-active, ‘bottom up’ practices that will enhance our national and global collective responsibility on climate change” Professor Sackett said.   

Speaking about the Chief Scientist, host of the event Michael Roux, Executive Chairman of the Australian Davos Connection (ADC) said, “Professor Penny Sackett s the leading expert in this country who can effectively bridge the gap between science and policy, translating our knowledge of the science into urgent policy imperatives.

“This is an opportunity to hear directly from Professor Sackett, during a critical time for the future of our environment, what the latest research is telling us about climate change and what we can do to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Australia and overseas.

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