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Media Release

November 2 2009

Ambitious global targets essential for climate survival

Ross GarnautIn just over a month world leaders will gather in Copenhagen to discuss what many consider to be the most critical issue of our times.

The United Nations climate change conference to be held over 11 days this December will be the stage for some of the most complex international negotiations ever undertaken, pitting national and global priorities against powerful private interests and national political agendas in a struggle to secure climate stability for the planet.

At UniSA’s 12th Annual Hawke Lecture, author of Australia’s most significant review of the national implications of climate change, Professor Ross Garnaut AO will argue that it is in Australia’s national interest to seek an ambitious international agreement on climate change mitigation in Copenhagen.

“Australia must be able to show its preparedness to play its full, proportionate part in an effective global agreement,” Prof Garnaut says.

In this important address he will explain the elements of an international agreement in Copenhagen that would meet Australia's national interest and explore the difficulties of governments pursuing policies in the national interest when these are in conflict with powerful private interests.

Prof Garnaut will also make timely comparisons between the history of Australian trade policy in the 20th century and climate change policy today.

The free public lecture will be held at the Adelaide Town Hall on Wednesday November 4 from 5.45 pm.

The Hawke Lecture is the most prestigious annual public event on the calendar for the Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre. The Hawke Centre was named after Bob Hawke as the only South Australian to have become Prime Minister. It was established in 1997 and meets UniSA’s community engagement obligations by addressing the larger contemporary issues that affect the nation through a free and accessible public learning program.

About the speaker: Professor Ross Garnaut (AO) is a Vice Chancellor's Fellow and a Professorial Fellow in Economics at the University of Melbourne as well as a Distinguished Professor of the Australian National University.

He is currently Chairman of a number of international companies and research organisations, including the International Food Policy Research Institute (Washington DC) and the Papua New Guinea Sustainable Development Program Limited (Singapore). In addition, he is a director of Ok Tedi Mining Limited (Papua New Guinea) and a member of the board of several international research institutions, including the Lowy Institute for International Policy (Sydney), AsiaLink (Melbourne), the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (Jakarta) and the China Center for Economic Research at Peking University (Beijing).

Professor Garnaut is the author of numerous books, monographs and articles in scholarly journals on international economics, public finance and economic development, particularly in relation to East Asia and the Southwest Pacific.

In addition to his distinguished academic career, Professor Garnaut has had longstanding and successful roles as a policy advisor, diplomat and businessman. He was the Senior Economic Adviser to Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke from 1983 to 1985 and subsequently served as the Australian Ambassador to China (1985 to 1988).

In September 2008, Professor Garnaut presented the Garnaut Climate Change Review to the Australian Prime Minister. This review, commissioned by the Australian government, examines the impact of climate change on the Australian economy and provides potential medium to long-term policies to ameliorate these.


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