Climate Change Conference 2016: Location: Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Parkwood Queensland. (Google Map)
Aims: To reawaken discussion, encourage effective mitigation actions and promote opportunities through connecting people in all sectors.
Objectives
• To build a stronger community, which will be empowered to advocate for action on climate change.
• To build a stronger community and optimism about the future.
• To provide information about the impacts of climate change in a range of areas including social equity at local and world level; energy; business and insurance; health and wellbeing; food security; urban design; tourism ; biodiversity and conservation reserves: environmental law and ethics (issue of denial to be part of every speakers presentation).
• To re-establish community dialogue about the impact of climate change on the Gold Coast community.
• To identify the opportunities resulting from action on climate change that will enhance business and employment and community wellbeing.
• To facilitate partnerships between the community, government, business and universities that will result in action plans to address climate change at a local level.
• To establish an ongoing cross-sector advisory group that will track Conference outcomes for the following 12 months and offer support to local mitigation action groups.
Workshops: Each speaker will be followed by an action oriented workshop that will produce clear, realistic and achievable goals.
Action Groups: It’s intended that participants of each workshop will volunteer to form a small action group willing and able to follow through with the actions over a 12 month period.
Cross sector advisory and monitoring group: The final plenary session will establish the cross-sector advisory group to track the achievement of Conference workshop goals and provide some support to the workshop action groups.
Outcomes
• A Gold Coast community more informed about the benefits of action to address climate change impacts, such as new business investment and jobs, preparedness for health impacts, environment protection, and increased community engagement.
• The establishment of small action groups, relative to the themes, which will create a ripple effect of action throughout community sectors. The action goals would include Identifiable lifestyle changes of participants e.g personal or workplace actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, car-pooling, establishment of buy local schemes.