UNSW Institute for Climate Risk & Response

🔔 Reminder: Register now for the UNSW Institute for Climate Risk & Response 2024 Conference! 🔔 Mark your calendars for October 16 and 17 and join us for a deep dive into climate risk and response with leading experts, including: - Jacqueline Peel, Director of Melbourne Climate Futures and Professor of environmental and climate law at the University of Melbourne Law School - Wesley Morgan, Research Associate at the UNSW Institute for Climate Risk & Response and a Fellow at the Climate Council - Bill Bovingdon, Chief Investment Officer at Altius Asset Management - Joanna Aldridge, Group Head of Catastrophe Research at QBE Insurance They will be discussing: - Innovative approaches to climate risk assessment through mandatory disclosures - The impact of extreme weather events on the insurance industry - Expanding the Australian Green Bond Market - Australia’s leadership in climate action Register here: https://lnkd.in/gRniqzBa

📢 PhD Opportunity at UNSW Sydney! We're seeking a motivated PhD candidate to join a critical project with Ausgrid, modelling site-specific wind hazards across the Sydney, Central Coast, and Hunter Valley regions. You'll work with experts from the Climate Change Research Centre and the School of Built Environment, applying numerical modelling, statistical analysis, and machine learning to assess wind-related risks to electricity networks. A competitive scholarship is available. Interested candidates should email Professor Steven Sherwood (s.sherwood@unsw.edu.au) with an Expression of Interest, CV, and academic transcripts. More information: https://lnkd.in/g-HhRfrp ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes, The ARC Centre of Excellence for 21st Century Weather, UNSW, UNSW Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, World Climate Research Programme (WCRP)

What does Japan’s transition to net zero mean for Australia? "Japan’s vision clashes directly with Australia’s efforts to become a green export superpower. And worse, Japanese investment is a key reason why Australia has emerged as an unlikely gas export giant," explains UNSW Institute for Climate Risk & Response Research Associate Wesley Morgan. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gBjwSyEs

📢 New publication alert! What motivates political conservatives to protect the environment? Can leveraging the preference to maintain the ‘status quo’ actually motivate people to take action to protect the environment? A new study co-authored by Samantha Stanley, DECRA Fellow at the UNSW Institute for Climate Risk & Response, explores these questions. A previous study reported that people who see the current social and economic systems as fair and worth maintaining are more likely to support environmental actions if being pro-environmental is framed as a way to protect and preserve the current way of life. This new study aimed to replicate and expand on previous research to delve deeper into the effectiveness of this approach. Interestingly, the researchers found that promoting pro-environmentalism as a way to maintain the current system wasn’t sufficient to encourage meaningful environmental action. In some cases, the message even backfired and reduced the environmental intentions of those who reject system justification (i.e., those who view the system as less fair and less worthy of protection). The study highlights the need for more research to uncover what truly drives change and emphasises the importance of effective climate communication. Read the full paper here: https://lnkd.in/gmRCm_6i

What are the economic costs of climate change? Tim Neal, Scientia Senior Lecturer in the School of Economics at UNSW Business School and the UNSW Institute for Climate Risk & Response, highlights that current economic models often underestimate the cost of climate change by neglecting the intricate connections between extreme weather events and their potential impact on global supply chains. “In the past, during a given year there's a proportion of countries that have good weather and a proportion that have bad weather. If you're one of the countries that have had bad weather, you can trade with the countries that have had good weather to insulate yourself from the effects of bad weather,” explains Dr Neal. “If you have crop failures, for instance, you can import food from countries who have enjoyed bumper harvests. One of the big benefits of international trade historically has been a more secure food supply. But future climate change is a change to the global weather distribution, and in any given year under these severe climate change scenarios, the proportion of countries that experience bad weather simultaneously, or what is considered now to be bad weather, is going to significantly increase. “And if that happens, then the potential to use trade to mitigate the effects of local weather shocks becomes severely compromised.” Read the full analysis here: https://lnkd.in/gFxn9rgz

📢 UNSW Institute for Climate Risk & Response Seminar Series How can businesses leverage data analytics for climate action? Join us on 25th September for our next seminar, “Leveraging Historical Data for Climate Prediction in Vietnam: An Imprinting Perspective,” presented by Scientia Professor Shan Pan and Marian Vindya Cooray from UNSW Business School. They will discuss how historical data can be utilised to develop long-term climate projections and navigate current uncertainties. More info here: https://lnkd.in/g2ASstfQ 🗓️ Date: 25 September 2024 🕥 Time: 10:30am - 11:30am 📍 Location: UNSW Climate Change Research Centre Seminar Room, Level 4, Mathews Building, UNSW Sydney We hope to see you there!

A huge thank you to Andrew Wiebe, Chief Science Officer at riskthinking.AI, for his insightful guest lecture at our recent seminar, hosted jointly with the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes. Andrew, an atmospheric scientist with over 20 years of experience, highlighted the critical role of integrating climate science and big data to address the evolving challenges of climate risk. He stressed the importance of developing dynamic tools to quantify and manage these risks, shaped by ongoing changes in our physical environment, politics, economics, and demographics. At Riskthinking.AI, Andrew is working on stochastic models that account for the uncertainty and variability of global climate projections. These models will help us better understand and prepare for future climate scenarios. Watch the full seminar here: https://lnkd.in/gcjD78yz

🎙️ New climate podcast alert: Preppers 🎙️ Are you ready to confront the harsh realities of climate change? In a new podcast series produced by the UNSW Centre for Ideas, UNSW Institute for Climate Risk & Response Director, UNSW Science Professor Ben Newell explores how our understanding of climate change influences our behaviour. Episode five delves into the psychological challenges of motivating climate action and emphasises the importance of understanding public perception and decision-making to create effective climate policies and communication strategies. Learn from leading climate experts, activists, and everyday heroes about the ways we can prepare for what’s coming. 👉 Listen here: https://lnkd.in/gNW4fRgw or wherever you get your podcasts!

Delighted to be able to present our research on the climate discussions occurring in super fund annual Members' Meetings at the Thomson Reuters Regulatory Summit. Thanks to ICRR interns Anika Townley, Chloe Kneebone and Dean K. for all their work in the background, and to Maged Girgis and Scott Charaneka for being on the Panel. Well done Katie Ardzejewski, Sandra van Hove and all the team at TR for a great event!

🌏 Can Australia repair its standing in the Pacific?   Australia, as the largest and wealthiest member of the Pacific Islands Forum, is also one of the world's biggest exporters of coal and gas. This dual role places a unique responsibility on Australia to lead by example in the fight against climate change, says Dr Wesley Morgan, Research Associate at the UNSW Institute for Climate Risk & Response (ICRR).   Dr Morgan, who recently joined the ICRR from the Climate Council, highlights in a recent 360info article the urgent need for Australia to demonstrate its commitment to transitioning away from fossil fuels. Given that Pacific nations see climate change as their most urgent security threat, Australia’s response will be crucial. Will Australia seize this moment to transition from being a major fossil fuel exporter to becoming a leader in renewable energy? 👉 Read the full story: https://lnkd.in/eZ8qHJ_g