Project Drawdown gives a more positive take on climate change

Addressing climate change could be an economic win for Queensland if the state can transition its economy to capitalise on emerging global trends.

This is the take-home message from US climate expert and Project Drawdown Executive Director Paul Hawken, who is in Brisbane to deliver a public lecture at the University of Queensland’s Global Change Institute entitled Solutions to reverse global warming.

Backing Mr Hawken’s sentiment, Minister for Environment and Science Leeanne Enoch agreed that embracing solutions to climate change can be a positive thing for Queensland.

“We need to start carving our place in the emerging zero carbon global economy,” Ms Enoch said.

“While there are many risks associated with climate change, what’s clear is that solutions already exist that have the potential to create more jobs and commercial prospects for Queensland businesses, and safer and happier communities.”

Project Drawdown is a unique consortium of scientists, policymakers and business leaders who are working together to find and enact sustainable and impactful solutions to climate change.

The organisation has mapped and modelled 100 of the most substantive technological, social and ecological solutions to climate change, detailed in the book Drawdown.

The goal of Mr Hawken’s research is to determine whether we can reverse the harmful build-up of carbon in the atmosphere within 30 years.

“It is tempting to believe that global warming is something that’s happening to us and that we are the victims of a fate that was determined by actions that preceded us,” Mr Hawken said.

“But, if we change the preposition and consider that global warming is an opportunity – an atmospheric transformation that inspires us to change and reimagine everything we make and do – then we can begin to live in a different world.”

Director of the Global Change Institute Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg said almost every day we hear about the problems we face from climate change, however, Paul Hawken has turned this on its head and has focused on the solutions, which are real, tangible, and beacons of hope for the future.

“The attitude that Paul brings to the problem is really important. While we cannot pretend that climate change isn’t a problem, we can beat it if we try, and Paul tells us how,” Professor Hoegh-Guldberg said.

“Many of these solutions have to do with the choices we make in everyday life. Ultimately, it is up to you, me and our communities to fight back against this gigantic challenge, and we will win because we must.”

Minimising risks and seizing opportunities are at the heart of Queensland’s response to climate change.

Over the next year, the Queensland Government, in partnership with EY (formerly Ernst & Young), will explore how the state can position itself to capitalise across key sectors, including mining, agriculture, manufacturing, construction and tourism.

ENDS
MEDIA: Ben Doyle 0437 859 987