Turning the tide in Oceania: a call for a global network to transition the Pacific to low carbon sea transport
| Dates: | 18 May 2015 |
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| Times: | 16:00 - 16:00 |
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| What is it: | Seminar |
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| Organiser: | Tyndall Manchester |
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| How much: | Free |
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| Who is it for: | University staff, Adults, Alumni, Current University students, General public, Post 16 |
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| Speaker: | Dr. Peter Nuttall |
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The Atoll Nations of the Pacific face imminent destruction, possibly the first national level collateral damage of climate change. At the global scale we wait for Paris to see if our global community can pull back its excessive incineration of fossil fuels sufficient to give these proud but tiny archipelagos and their ancient cultures a hint of survival. Having none of their own, this island studded ocean region is now entirely dependent on unaffordable imported oil for most energy needs. But far from being powerless, the Marshall Islands are determined to lead by example. At the global level they are calling at MEPC 68 for an industry target to be set for reducing international shipping emissions commensurate with a threshold of no more than 1.5 degrees of warming. At the national level they have already set a target of reducing their own transport fuel use by 20% by 2020 and are planning a whole of country strategy to transition to a low carbon transport future. Sea transport is the first objective. Achieving either of these objectives is likely beyond their reach unaided and we seek to build a network of willing global knowledge partners to support them in their related quests. In this presentation we outline a multi-disciplinary, multi-stakeholder strategy designed to build the platform for such transition as a catalyst for other small island states. Perhaps an exercise in futility, a quixotic tilt at a gigantic, unassailable windmill; perhaps a model for a future world.
Speaker
Dr. Peter Nuttall
Role: Research Fellow
Biography: Pete is a Research Fellow at the Pacific Centre for the Environment and Sustainable Development, University of the South Pacific. He leads a small team researching practical solutions for Pacific Island Countries to transition to low carbon transport futures. Having studied extensively the heritage of Drua, the giant Fijian double hulled sailing canoes that sailed rings around Captain Cook “as if I were was at anchor”, he lives in a wooden sailing ship and has lived and sailed extensively in the Pacific Islands. He has worked in sustainable planning and policy from village level to the UN and is continually amazed at both the resilience of Pacific peoples living, as their ancestors did for millennia, on the most marginal of resource bases and the growing strength of the international research community that is committing to assist them.
Travel and Contact Information
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C1
George Begg Building
Manchester
