For organisations: Events and workshops
Future Climate works with organisations to design and deliver events and workshops, to progress understanding and action towards a sustainable future. Through our Associates network we are able to offer a wide range of expertise across many sectors. Future Climate is currently conducting IPPC briefings nationally (see below), and this is an example of the type of programs available (please contact us to discuss your requirements).
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) Briefings
Future Climate Australia is partnering with state governments to present a series of briefings following the release of the Report of the first Working Group on The Physical Science Basis of Climate Change (February 2, 2007), which addressed:
- What progress has been made in understanding and attributing climate change?
- What do observations of the atmosphere, oceans, sea level, snow and ice tell us?
- How has the climate been behaving in the last hundreds of thousands of years?
- What are the projections of future changes?
These Briefings are designed to maximise the value of the IPCC Reports for stakeholders, in terms of the issues that climate change might present to their sector for the Board, senior managers, staff and/or clients.
Each briefing contains some common key messages from the Report but is also targeted at the specific needs of the client with respect to:
- The sector emphasis of the briefing
- The purpose (staff education, strategic policy-development)
- Format (formal/informal, seminar/meal presentation, level/extent of desired interaction).
The Briefings are presented by Dr Graeme Pearman and have particular relevance for sectors such as:
- Farming and Agriculture
- Power generation and distribution
- Transport and Mobility
- Business and employment
- Water and natural resource management
- Insurance, superannuation and investment
- Tourism, etc.
"We're looking for an unequivocal commitment from politicians, business leaders and civil society leaders to take climate change as truly the challenge of our century."
Achim Steiner, Director of the UN Environment Program
Background
The climate of the Earth and Australia is changing. For businesses, governments
and the community this poses both risks and opportunities. Minimising risk
and maximising opportunities requires constant reappraisal of the knowledge-base
as this is developing rapidly, reappraisal that is directed at specific policymakers'
needs.
Recognising this, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was established by the World Meteorological Organisation and the United Nations Environment Program to periodically assess the scientific, technical and socioeconomic knowledge concerning climate change, its potential impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation. This is not the only assessment process; various national agencies and scientific academies undertake their own processes. However, it is a by far the most comprehensive and extensive assessment available. IPCC does not undertake research, but rather periodically examines the progress of new and formally published (peer reviewed) research. Such assessments were made in 1990, 1996 and 2001. The IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) will be released during 2007.
IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (AR4)
The IPCC Fourth Assessment Report will be released in 2007 and consist of output from three working groups and a Synthesis Report. Around 500 lead authors, supported by hundreds of other contributors have been involved in the drafting of the IPCC AR4. Review is an essential element in the preparation of IPCC Reports to ensure that they represent the latest scientific, technical and socioeconomic findings and are as comprehensive as possible.
The review process is transparent and open, involving as many experts as possible from all regions of the world. Since the IPCC is an intergovernmental body, these Reports are reviewed by governments as well as experts. Comments received from both are taken into account by lead authors when preparing revised drafts.
IPCC Reports are accepted at plenary sessions where Summaries for Policymakers are approved line-by-line to ensure consistency with the factual material contained in the full Report. Only after acceptance and improvement and approval can Reports then be considered findings of the IPCC.