The University of Queensland's School of Political Science and International Studies will host a symposium on the Politics of Climate Change in Australia on November 28-9.
The symposium will bring together leading researchers on climate politics in Australia from institutions across the country, including the Australian National University and Universities of Melbourne, Sydney, Tasmania, and Western Australia.
It will also involve colleagues from within UQ, including the School of Political Sciences and International Studies, the Institute of Social Sciences Research and the Global Change Institute.
The symposium is funded through a UQ-UWA Bilateral Research Collaboration Award shared by Dr Matt McDonald (UQ) and Professor Mark Beeson (UWA).
"Climate change will be the most profound and fundamental challenge to social, political and economic organisation in this century, to say nothing of its implications for future generations or other living beings," Dr McDonald said.
"It is urgent that we explore ways to mobilise and promote strong action in response to climate change at the local, national and international levels," he said.
“In Australia, we have already seen how divisive climate policy has been and how difficult it is to build and sustain a social consensus for strong action on global climate change.
"This symposium brings together a variety of experts in the broad field of political science who are in an outstanding position to draw attention to these challenges and the reasons for them, and point to some of the ways in which these might be overcome.”
Papers from the symposium will subsequently appear in a special issue of the journal Australian Journal of Politics and History in 2013. During the symposium, real-time updates on the papers and discussion will be available through Twitter at #Ozclimatepols.
For more information, contact Dr Matt McDonald at matt.mcdonald@uq.edu.au
