A tiny beetle and huge damage in British Columbia

Professor Tom Pederson explained has how and why a tiny beetle had had a huge impact impact in Canada’s British Columbia.

Professor Tom Pederson.

The Pine Bark Beetle, luxuriating in a climatic opening brought on by climate change, has decimated forests in the western-most province of Canada.

The Japanese Room at the University of Melbourne’s School of Design was to capacity to hear Professor of Paleoclimatology and Marine Geochemistry from Canada’s University of Victoria.

Professor Pedersen said injury to the province’s extensive pine forest was already evident when Gordon Campbell become Premier in 2001and fortunately he was sensitive to climate change its causes and impact.

Driven by that, and of course the huge economic costs, he instituted many changes across society, including a cost against the use of fossil fuels.

That, according to Prof Pedersen was hugely successful and had wide community support, including an increasing charge against fuel costs to motorists, and was having measurable  success in slowing British Columbia’s carbon dioxide emissions.

The Pine Bark Beetle on a match -
climate change has allowed it to
proliferate costing British Columbia millions.

Sadly, he noted, Mr Campbell made a political mistake and so resigned from the role allowing him to be replaced by Ms Kristy Clark, whose behaviour resembled that of Australia’s Tony Abbott.

British Columbia had been a world leader in terms of its response to climate change, but now was among the laggards.

Prof Pedersen is presently at the University of Melbourne working with the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, but will soon be returning to Canada.

Professor Karoly to talk about reports, minority and otherwise

Professor David Karoly.
 

David Karoly and Clive Hamilton are both members of the Climate Change Authority who don’t always agree with everything the body says.

So much so, that soon after the authority’s latest report, Professors Karoly and Hamilton, who both had serious reservations about many intentions within the official report, combined to write and publicise a “minority report”.

Discontent within the authority obviously received considerable publicity in our mainstream press, but people will soon have the opportunity to hear directly from Professor Karoly why he and Professor Hamilton penned their contrary view.

The Professor of Atmospheric Science from the School of Earth Sciences at the University of Melbourne, and who is Climate Change Authority member, will be the speaker at the “Climate Conversations” on Tuesday, October 25.

Promotional material for the one hour lecture starting at 12:30pm says: “David Karoly will present the recommendations from the Authority’s Report and then will change hats and present the recommendations from the minority report.”

Read the “Minority report”.

The lecture, headed “Towards a climate policy toolkit: Special Review of Australia’s climate goals and policies”, will be at the university's School of Design and those eager to attend should notify Claire Denby at the university’s Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute (MSSI).