The Noosa Biosphere has engaged climate change experts to facilitate a community forum to better understand the risks and opportunities associated with climate change within the Biosphere.

Keynote speaker and University of the Sunshine Coast lecturer, Kate English said that the Noosa Biosphere was under threat from climate change despite its international conservation recognition.

“Biodiversity managers, rural producers, health officials, engineers and emergency services are just a few examples of the many that will have to learn how to adapt to more extreme weather events, the likely increases in average temperature and less frequent but more intense rainfall events,” Ms English said.  

Ms English said the free workshop (Tuesday September 7) at Pomona would have a rural focus and all participants would discuss the consequences of climate change, activities currently underway and what the next steps should be.

Biosphere Environment Board member and primary industries sustainability expert Brian Stockwell encouraged Noosa’s rural community to attend the forum and start working together to plan the way ahead.  

“Local farmers are already adapting to shorter winter planting seasons and earlier flowering thought to be reducing yields in key crops, Mr Stockwell said.

“Exceptionally intense storm events have already impacted on community infrastructure such as the damage from the Kin Kin Flood and road collapses at Noosa Heads and Sunshine Beach.  

“More frequent and longer heat waves are having a direct human cost around the globe.

“Regardless of the cause, these changes are not something happening in the future they are happening now.”

“This forum is the start of the conversation and the cooperation between the community and industry groups.”

The Climate Change Forum is co-sponsored by Noosa Biosphere Limited and Noosa and District Landcare as part of the Australian Government’s Caring for our Country project. 

Residents and representatives of community and industry groups in the rural Biosphere areas are invited to the event at the Rural Futures Centre, Pomona, Tuesday September 7, 2010.  

“We are not out to preach to the converted or convert the sceptics, said Mr Stockwell

We are seeking to engage members of the local community who are keen to actively work on increasing the resilience of our Biosphere to the impacts of climate change and to prepare for the uncertainty ahead.”

Registration starts at 6:30pm for a 6:45pm start please RSVP to Brian.Stockwell@deedi.qld.gov.au.

Copy of the flyer including the agenda here.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

Key speaker, Kate English, has had a successful 25-year career as a public policy analyst, lecturer and private sector sustainability consultant focusing on climate change, natural resource management and energy conservation.  

For two decades, Ms English worked for the US Government including roles as a Presidential Appointee to the Clinton-Gore Administration where she served as a Senior Advisor for Climate Change at the US Department of Energy, and served as a US delegate the conference that developed the Kyoto Protocol.  

Ms English will provide an overview of the likely consequences of Climate Change on the Biosphere in her presentation and will be available to explain these in more depth during round table workshops.

The workshop will be broken into round tables to allow discussions on local biodiversity, agriculture, health and lifestyle, expertise leading the analysis of likely consequences, current action and critical next steps.