Sunday February 12, 2012

Welcome   |   Register   |   Log in

Past Event

A Discussion with Professor Ross Garnaut

Australian and International Climate Change Policy

Climate Change, Australia and the Pacific, Energy, Environment

Event Summary

On October 30, the Brookings Institution, in conjunction with the Lowy Institute for International Policy and the International Food Policy Research Institute, will host Professor Ross Garnaut for a discussion on climate change policy. The occasion will also mark the launch of The Garnaut Climate Change Review in the United States.

Event Information

When

Thursday, October 30, 2008
3:00 PM to 4:15 PM

Where

Saul-Zilkha
The Brookings Institution
1775 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20036
Map

Contact: Brookings Office of Communications

Email: events@brookings.edu

Phone: 202.797.6105

As part of the Australian Government’s focus on climate change, Professor Garnaut led an investigation into the impact of climate change on the Australian economy. The Garnaut Climate Change Review, which has been very influential in Australia, identified policy recommendations that would maintain the country’s prosperity while mitigating the negative influences of global warming. Professor Garnaut's final report, embodying proposals for domestic and international policy, was given to the Australian Prime Minister and State Premiers on September 30, and was published by Cambridge University Press on October 16.

Professor Garnaut is a distinguished professor of the Australian National University, as well as a professorial fellow and a vice chancellor’s fellow at the University of Melbourne. Garnaut is a director of the Lowy Institute, Australia’s leading international policy think tank and chairman of the International Food Policy Research Institute. From 1985 to 1988, Garnaut was Australia’s ambassador to China.

Carlos Pascual, vice president and director of Foreign Policy at Brookings, will provide introductory remarks and will moderate the discussion.

Transcript

ROSS GARNAUT: The report I did was built around the question: What global mitigation effort with Australia playing its proportionate part would meet Australian interest best? And that is, simply stated, that it turns out to be an immensely complex question and EXTEND, with whom I've had quite a lot of contact as I've worked on this report and who was present at the Beijing launch last week, addressed the question of what level of global mitigation makes sense for the world as a whole given the global costs and the global benefits of mitigation of climate change.

That turns out to be a much simpler question than the question: How much mitigation makes sense for one country? Because when you're looking at the question for one country, you have to look at the question for the world as a whole, but then you have to address the question: What is that one country's proportionate part in that global effort? And you have to address the immensely difficult question of what could be a global agreement on allocation of responsibility for mitigation.

Participants

Introduction and Moderator

Carlos Pascual

Vice President and Director, Foreign Policy

Featured Speaker

Ross Garnaut AO

Distinguished Professor, Australian National University
Author, The Garnaut Climate Change Review


My Portfolio

My New Content

View suggested content based on items you have saved to your Portfolio.
Log in or register now