Clumsy Lecture is Great Success

Oxford University's Professor Steve Rayner extolled the value of 'clumsiness' in decision-making last week in the 2006 Jack Beale Memorial Lecture on the Global Environment at UNSW. But despite the subject matter, there were no slip-ups as this eloquent and stimulating speaker explored the ways in which the world approaches the global environmental problems we face today. Professor Rayner argued that issues such as global climate change represent 'wicked problems' which arise from a vast array of underlying causes, diverse value systems and vested interests and perhaps our attempts to solve them need to be just as 'clumsy' as the actions and decisions that have created them in the first place.

This biannual public lecture hosted by the Institute of Environmental Studies honours the late Jack Beale, who was a trailblazer in the field of environmental management as well as becoming NSW's first Minister for the Environment and playing a major role in key international environmental frameworks. Professor Rayner, who is the James Martin Professor of Science and Civilisation at Oxford and a lead author on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, joined a series of distinguished speakers who have delivered the Beale lecture at UNSW, following on from the former United Nation Environment Programme Executive Director Dr Klaus Töpfer in 2003.

Professor Rayner offered up clumsy solutions to the attentive audience of around 800 as a 'challenge to the imagination' and an alternative to our traditional approaches of trying to identify clear, well-defined alternatives to current problem-causing activities, such as the emission of greenhouse gases. Clumsiness in decision-making recognises that such solutions are never clear and indeed that seeking to define them in such a way often only serves to highlight how difficult the problems themselves are to define in the first place. Frameworks that respect and absorb the array of values and perspectives surrounding these issues can perhaps offer up emergent solutions that wouldn't otherwise be able to rise above the battling viewpoints.

An audio recording of Professor Rayner's lecture can be downloaded at www.ies.unsw.edu.au

Upcoming Events from the EN Events Calendar

Seminar on US Nitrogen Emissions Market
Seminar by Brian Scott and Karel Nolles hosted by the Centre for Energy and Environmental Markets at UNSW.
When: Wednesday 2 August 2006, 1pm
Where: Room G3, Electrical Engineering Building, UNSW Kensington Campus
Further Information: Merlinde Kay (02) 9385 4061; m.kay@unsw.edu.au

CSIRO Land and Water Seminar, Canberra
Can trees really desalinate Adelaide's water? Jorge Pena and Albert van Dijk, presented in association with the Water for a Healthy Country Flagship
When: Friday 4 August 2006, 11am
Where: Christian Lab, Clunies Ross St, Canberra City
Further Information: www.clw.csiro.au/division/canberra/seminars/index.html

Science Fact and Fiction
A celebration of National Science week at UNSW, hosted by the Faculty of Science. Science shows and a science careers forum for secondary and primary students.
All events will he held on the UNSW Kensington campus at UNSW. Booking is necessary and places are limited. Cost $3/person.
When: Friday 4 August 2006, 9am-5pm
Where: University of New South Wales, Kensington
Further Information and bookings: Alan Henry, Tel: 02 9385 6575, a.henry@unsw.edu.au

Wind Energy Resource Assessment and Forecasting
Nick Cutler, Ph.D student with Centre for Energy and Environmental Markets at UNSW.
When: Wednesday 9 August 2006 1pm
Where: Room G3, Electrical Engineering Building, UNSW Kensington Campus
Further Information: Merlinde Kay (02) 9385 4061; m.kay@unsw.edu.au

For details on more upcoming events in the environmental field, check out the EN's events calendar, by logging onto the EN at www.en.unsw.edu.au

The Environmental Network is a user-driven network and events can be posted by all EN members. UNSW takes no responsibility for the content of events advertised on the EN or in this newsletter.