COP26: RMIT experts available for comment

COP26 runs from 31 October – 12 November.

Along with the experts below, RMIT has a vast range of research expertise in the areas of climate change, circular economy, sustainability and more. Contact the RMIT media team for more information on +61 439 704 077 or news@rmit.edu.au. 

Dr Emma Shortis (+61 430 358 798 or emma.shortis@rmit.edu.au)

Topics: US politics, US history

Australia at COP26

“After he was elected, US President Joe Biden promised to return the United States to global leadership on climate. At the first major global event he hosted – the Climate Leaders’ Summit in April – the signs that he would fulfill that promise were good. Since then, all of Australia’s major trading partners and allies have increased their climate commitments.

“Despite diplomatic pressure from the Biden administration and other allies, the Australian government has so far refused to make similar promises, sticking to hollow and meaningless ‘preference’ for net zero 2050 when the real game is 2030. So far at least, there haven’t been any real political consequences.

“COP26 is humanity’s best hope for concerted, global climate action. It is a critical juncture. The Morrison government is instead hoping for business as usual – that, just like in Kyoto in 1997, the Australian government can undermine global negotiations and the final agreement, and then rely on the United States Congress to do the rest. 

“Whether the rest of the world allows that to happen again, when the stakes are so much higher, remains to be seen. It is critical for the planet that they do not.”

Dr Emma Shortis is a Research Fellow at the EU Centre of Excellence at RMIT University. She was a Fox-Zucker International Fellow at Yale University during her PhD in history, is a regular media commentator on the history and current politics of the US and co-host of RMIT’s politics and culture podcast Barely Gettin’ By. Her first book about Australia’s relationship with America, Our Exceptional Friend, was published this year.

Dr Marta Fernandez (+34 645 707 719 or marta.fernandez@rmit.edu.au)

Topics: Climate change, human health, infrastructure, built environment

Climate change is a human health issue

“How do we build resilient and smart infrastructure that considers climate change and human health?

“The link between buildings, human health and climate change is clear. From heat waves and fires in Australia and California through to severe winter storms in North America and Europe, we’re faced with buildings unable to handle extreme weather and air quality issues – having a negative impact on human health.

“In Europe, we’ve seen how understanding the ways regions, cities and buildings can mitigate and adapt to changing climate conditions, all while reducing environmental impact, has created a host of innovative design, construction and policy practices. These include green and sustainable building practices; restorative, regenerative, and net zero design; regenerative sustainability; net positive policies and climate resilience.

“But there’s still more to be done. What is less clear is the exact relationship between human health, organisational health, community health and building-level climate change mitigation and adaptation practices.” 

Note: Dr Marta Fernandez is based in Spain.

Dr Marta Fernandez is the Executive Director at RMIT Europe. She held honorary appointments at University College London and Imperial College Business School and is chair of the European Construction Technology Platform's Built for Life Committee. She is on the Research Advisory for the International Well Building Institute and is a Non-Executive Director of Thomas Telford Limited.

Dr Carol Bond (+61 400 772 118 or carol.bond@rmit.edu.au)

Topics: Hydrogen, hydrogen energy transition

The case for hydrogen

“Hydrogen has gone from being a fringe item to dead centre of the sustainability discussion. 

“Businesses that want to get first mover advantage need to pivot now and adopt hydrogen as their preferred energy solution. If, for example, Australian banks switched to hydrogen as the energy source for their data centres that would achieve a huge reduction in carbon emissions. And that’s just the start – so many products that are currently big contributors to greenhouse emissions are ripe for a move to hydrogen including cement, steel and shipping, just to name a few. 

“Australia has multiple current and prospective trading partners for our hydrogen – they are moving ahead to decarbonise their operations and we should be doing the same.”

Dr Carol Bond is a lecturer in management at RMIT’s College of Business and Law, and an academic member of the University’s Sustainable Hydrogen Energy Laboratory (SHEL). She has run research projects through the Future Fuels CRC and is associated with the Australian Hydrogen Council as a member of its Social License Working Group.

 
Associate Professor Wendy Steele (+61 455 134 949 or wendy.steele@rmit.edu.au)

Topics: Climate action, Sustainability, Sustainable Development Goals, Cities, Social Innovation 

‘Quiet activism’ – climate action in cities and communities

“Momentum is growing around the need for urgent action to reduce global carbon emissions to net zero to avoid the impacts of catastrophic climate change. How we collectively respond to the climate crisis at different scales has far-reaching ramifications. 

“Climate change is not something that is ‘out there’ but is most acutely felt at the local scale in our towns, cities and urban regions. 

“While global attention is currently focused on the outcomes of the high level COP26 UN Climate Change Conference negotiations in Glasgow, we must not forget the need for local communities to find meaningful and transformative ways to better address the sustainability of their environments. 

“In the absence of national leadership, these communities are forging new responses to the climate crisis in places where they live, work and play. This is how different individuals and groups undertake climate action as ‘quiet activism’ – the extraordinary measures taken by ordinary people as part of their everyday lives, to address the climate emergency at the local level.”

Wendy Steele is an Associate Professor in Sustainability and Urban Planning in the School of Global, Urban and Social Studies and co-leader of the Critical Urban Governance Research Program in the Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University, Melbourne. Her research focuses on cities in climate change with an emphasis on climate justice. Her latest book is 'Quiet Activism: Climate Action at the Local Scale' (Palgrave 2021).

Professor Hannah Badland (+61 420 600 128 or hannah.badland@rmit.edu.au)

Topics: liveability, population, healthy cities

More inclusive cities vital to realising COP26 goals

“A commitment to building more inclusive cities that redress social, economic, environmental, and health inequities will be critical to realising the goals for COP26. 

“Flattening and reducing inequities between the haves and have-nots is a cornerstone of a resilient and well-functioning society.

“Well-designed cities and neighbourhoods that explicitly seek to tackle inequities, are more resilient and responsive, while fostering inclusion and protecting wellbeing.”

Professor Hannah Badland is the Deputy Director Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University. Her expertise focuses on how cities and neighbourhoods support good health and wellbeing, with particular interest for how these settings contribute to outcomes for vulnerable groups, including people with disability, disadvantaged children, and those living in low-to-middle income cities. 

***

For interviews, contact the experts directly on their above details.

For general media enquiries, contact RMIT Communications: 0439 704 077 or news@rmit.edu.au