Public Forum Program

The Garnaut Climate Change Review Update 2011 provides further confirmation of two seemingly paradoxical trends. While scientific evidence that global warming is accelerating continues to strengthen, community support for the decisions and actions needed to prevent runaway climate change remains problematic. This paradox can be explained in a number of ways. If doubt and confusion about climate science are seen as the major barriers to understanding and action then responses are likely to focus on improving communications about climate trends and impacts. However, there is increasing evidence that public support for climate change action is significantly affected by the mental models and value frameworks which citizens and policy makers bring to the issue as well as by the potentially paralysing impact of the belief that change at the scale and speed required is too hard.

This public forum provides an opportunity to discuss recent research findings and insights on the psychological, social, cultural and institutional factors affecting public attitudes to climate change trends and policy responses in Australia. 

MC: Peter Mares, Presenter of The National Interest, ABC Radio National and Adjunct Professor, Institute for Social Research, Swinburne University

Speakers

Professor Iain Walker, Research Group Leader, Eco System Sciences, CSIRO

Professor David Karoly, School of Earth Sciences, University of Melbourne

Dr. Susannah Eliott, Executive Director Australian Science Media Centre and member of the Climate Commission

Professor Carmen Lawrence, Winthrop Professor, Director, Centre for the Study of Social Change, School of Psychology, University of Western Australia