Australia's Ambassador for Climate Change Kristen Tilley will speak at the Australian National University's Climate Update on Monday, alongside whistleblower, Professor Andrew Macintosh.
Ms Tilley is relatively new to the role, having been elected in November last year from her position as First Assistant Secretary at the Department of Industry, Science and Resources.
The annual climate update will present an overview of how the climate is changing and what can be done to respond to those changes, with a focus on effective carbon removal.
Professor Macintosh is a former chair of the body overseeing Australia's carbon-credit scheme, who blew the whistle on what he says was fraudulent behaviour, calling for it to be broken up due to a lack of integrity.
He will discuss carbon offsets and how they can be made to help rather than hinder decarbonisation.
Professor Macintosh said carbon offsets have the potential to play a critical role in transitioning the Australian and global economy by providing mitigation options for hard-to-abate sectors and lowering the economy-wide costs associated with reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
He said they also have the potential to generate important environmental and social co-benefits.
"To date, the practice has looked nothing like the theory," Professor Macintosh said. "Offset schemes in Australia and elsewhere have been plagued by significant integrity problems, all stemming from similar causes.
"Turning this around requires scheme administrators to openly acknowledge when there are problems - something that has almost never occurred anywhere in the world - and a commitment to let public interest groups and other third parties play a more active role in the governance of offset processes."
Hosted in-person at the ANU and online, the annual event will bring together experts, policymakers and the community.
Professor Mark Howden, Director, ANU Institute for Climate, Energy and Disaster Solutions, will discuss the latest climate research, including a snapshot of newly released data on how the climate changed in 2022, both in Australia and around the world, alongside Professor Penny King, ANU Research School of Earth Sciences.
Professor Macintosh will be joined by Professor Deanna D'Alessandro and Dr Sarah Milne in a discussion moderated by Caitlyn Baljak on ensuring the integrity of carbon dioxide removal and maximising other co-benefits, including biodiversity and First Nations communities.
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