WORKSHOP: Climate Change and Emergency Management - Can We Plan to Adapt?

The following workshop will feature international perspectives on climate change adaptation along with national and local views concerning the impact of climate change on disaster management, emergency service delivery and adaptation to extreme events.

Introductory comments: Fire and Emergency Services Authority (FESA), and University of Western Australia

Keynote presentation: Dr Lisa Schipper ‘Can We Plan to Adapt? A Story about Learning and Looking Ahead’

Lisa Schipper is a Research Fellow at The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), with over ten years of professional experience in development and adaptation to climate change (policy, science and practice). Her research interests include examining socio-cultural aspects of vulnerability to climate change and other natural hazards. Lisa has carried out research in Central America (El Salvador, Nicaragua), Africa (Botswana, Ethiopia) and Asia (Southeast Asia, Bhutan). In the last ten years, she has worked and consulted for the UNFCCC secretariat, UNEP/ GRID-Arendal, IISD, UNDP, UNEP, UN/ISDR, GTZ,DfID, Danida, World Bank and Oxfam.

She is a Lead Author of Chapter 2 (Determinants of risks: exposure and vulnerability) of the ongoing IPCC Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation (due to be published in 2011). Lisa is also a member of the International Advisory Panel for the International Program on Climate Change and Variability Risk Reduction (IP-CVR).

Overview of NCCARF Emergency Management Network: Professor John Handmer, RMIT University

The Challenges of Climate Change for Emergency Management in Western Australia: Russell Stevens, FESA

Panel Questions: Open discussion

3:00pm for coffee & tea Seminar start 3.30pm - 5.30pm drinks following