Engineers call for practical solutions to climate change

Engineers, scientists and policy makers will meet in Melbourne next week to discuss the latest findings from the recent IPCC report and the innovation needed to combat ongoing climate change. The Practical Responses to Climate Change Conference (PRCC) is part of engineering event Convention 2014, which has been organised by Engineers Australia and will run from 24-28 November.

Engineers Australia CEO Stephen Durkin said with the release of the IPCC report and the G20 summit, the need to address climate change as an economic, social and environmental risk has never been greater.

“Engineers Australia believes that we must act swiftly and proactively in line with global expectations to address climate change as an economic, social and environmental risk,” he said.

“Our role has been, and will continue to be, in leading capacity to innovate for more sustainable, eco-efficient and less polluting outcomes in engineering practice.

“We believe that addressing the costs of atmospheric emissions will lead to increasing our competitive advantage by minimising risks and creating new economic opportunities.”

PRCC, to be held from 25-27 November, will focus on the topics of water and wastewater, coastal infrastructure, energy, transport, agriculture, waste and sustainable buildings. The conference will open with a prerecorded video message from the head of the IPCC, Dr RK Pachauri, followed by a keynote address by the Hon Major General Michael Jeffery. Keynote presentations will be followed up by expert panel discussions to allow for open dialogue between academics, industry and government delegates.

Keynote speaker Professor Iven Mareels, Dean of The University of Melbourne School of Engineering, will be using the conference to address water issues in Australia and why innovation matters. He said Australia’s biggest challenge in terms of climate change is very much concentrated around water.

“Changes in water’s spatial and temporal distribution will put pressure on Australia’s continent and infrastructure,” Professor Mareels said. “We will need more infrastructure purposefully designed for resilience, flexibility and recovery after extreme weather situations.

“Energy and water are the two components we should be concentrating on. Irrigation is about water redistribution and becoming more responsible with how we use water. Energy needs to be focused on integration of renewables into the grid, better monitoring of the environment, better monitoring of our bio resources and ensuring our cities use the best possible technology available.

“There is actually enough information out there to take action, focus on green energy, focus on renewables.”

To learn more about the conference and to register, go to http://convention2014.org.au/prcc.