UTS 4 Climate

There is an unlikely hero that could help deliver us from climate catastrophe, and that hero is found washed up on our beaches and lives deep in our oceans.

In this final UTS 4 Climate conversation, Professor Bob Carr sits down with Australia’s best-known climate author and scientist, Professor Tim Flannery to discuss the innovative ways we could draw down the carbon that exists in our atmosphere, and the urgent need to begin this work.

A striking development has occurred in the world of corporate finance in 2020. Over the past months, a string of corporations have divested from thermal coal, starting with US investment giant BlackRock and extending to Japan’s Mizuho and the Norwegian Government Pension Fund. But the world’s financiers haven’t suddenly become climate activists overnight – instead it’s economics that is driving this shift.

With the Paris Agreement in place, coal is being dumped all over the world and no longer is seen a safe investment.

In this instalment of the UTS 4 Climate podcast, Bob Carr sits down with Tim Buckley, Director of Energy Finance Studies, Australia/South Asia at IEEFA for a robust discussion on the transformation hitting the energy markets of Australia and Asia.

The devastating effects of the 2019-2020 bushfires saw Australian communities ravaged by the impacts of climate change. Many viewed the tragedy as a long overdue wake-up call, and one that should spur rapid action to address the ecological challenges facing us. But as the ash settles, what will the next steps for climate policy look like in an Australia reeling from a catastrophic fire season?

In this not to be missed conversation, hear from UTS industry professor Bob Carr who is joined by Independent MP for Warringah, Zali Steggall OAM, elected in 2019 on a platform of pursuing national climate action. Zali is joined by Martijn Wilder, a world leader in climate law and sustainable investing who believes Australia could lead the way in the race to decarbonise.