How is Australia feeling the heat, and thirst, of climate change?

Event information detail is can be read below

Venue: Ekocentrum

Venue-Address: Aschebergsgatan 44, Gothenburg

Venue URL

Please join us for a seminar with Chalmers alumnus Dr. Ben Henley and IPCC lead author Prof. Deliang Chen to talk about the water shortages facing southern Australia in the face of global warming.

Australia is regularly bombarded by climate extremes, including heatwaves, fires, floods, droughts and coral bleaching events. Being a flat continent surrounded by oceans leads to high interannual and decadal variability, driven by large ocean-atmosphere processes such as the El Niño Southern Oscillation. These phenomena are a key part of understanding and managing the threat of climate change. Protests in Australia in 2019 in support of Greta Thunberg’s movement for stronger climate action were met with both appreciation and opposition. But is Australia’s contribution to global climate change mitigation efforts in line with the Paris Agreement? What is the future for climate extremes in Australia?

In this talk, Ben will discuss these issues and recent work on quantifying the risks to major water supply systems as rainfall continues to decline in southern Australia in line with climate model projections.

This will be followed by Deliang Chen, professor of physical meteorology at the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Gothenburg, who will give a presentation and reflect on Ben’s presentation. The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has appointed prof. Deliang Chen, as one of the coordinating lead authors of a report on climate change. Deliang is leading the work on the first chapter of a report, focusing primarily on suggestions on how to combat the effects of climate change. Results of the report will be presented in 2021 and will serve as an important basis in international negotiations on climate change and what adjustments and measures are required.

Dr Ben Henley biography:

Ben is a Research Fellow in the School of Earth Sciences at the University of Melbourne, Lecturer in the School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment at Monash University, Associate Investigator in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes and a consultant to government and industry. He has worked in both academia and industry investigating hydroclimatic variability and water resource system performance, undertaking hydrological modelling underpinning major water planning decisions. Dr Henley also lectures in Palaeoclimatology and Future Climates. His research includes advances in the areas of decadal climate variability, the El Niño Southern Oscillation, the climate of the past 2000 years, evaluation of climate models, hydrological modelling, and the context and impacts of anthropogenic climate change.

Prof. Deliang Chen biography:

Deliang Chen is professor of physical meteorology at the University of Gothenburg. He is a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the European Academy of Sciences and Arts and the Chinese Academy of Sciences and is an expert on regional climate analyses for Sweden and China, the relationship between weather and climate, and climate modelling. Deliang has previously served as executive director of the International Council for Science (ICSU) and has participated in numerous national and international committees and boards. He has also acted as an adviser on climate issues for several governmental and non-governmental bodies around the world, including as scientific director at China’s national climate centre in Beijing.

AGENDA

11.45 Lunch wrap

12.10 Welcome by the organizers and quick presentation of participants

12.20 Introduction to the seminar theme and overview of related IPCC findings
Prof. Deliang Chen Department of Earth Sciences, University of Gothenburg

12.30 How is Australia feeling the heat, and thirst, of climate change?
Dr. Ben Henley Climate scientist and Hydrology researcher from the University of Melbourne and Monash University.

12.50 Reflections on presentation by Prof. Deliang Chen and name tbc.

13.00 – 13.30 Open discussion and questions

13.30 – 14.00 Coffee and optional time to continue discussions

The seminar will be moderated by: Malin Gustafsson Program Officer SIWI-SWH

Registration

The seminar is free of charge, and lunch will be served from 11:45.
You can register to the event HERE!