Hundreds gather for emergency summit on Antarctica’s future
15 November 2024
Nearly 500 polar experts from around the country will gather in Hobart next week for the inaugural Australian Antarctic Research Conference.
The conference will be held at the University of Tasmania from 19-22 November 2024.
Chair of the conference steering committee, Prof Nathan Bindoff, said it is very timely that this will be the first meeting of Australia’s Antarctic research community in more than a decade.
“At a time when we’re seeing rapid and extreme climate-related changes in and around the icy continent—like record lows in sea-ice extent and unprecedented heatwaves—scientists are holding a national emergency summit about Antarctica’s future.”
“The underlying themes of the conference are both the impacts of global warming on Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, and the critical roles that the region plays in maintaining the global climate system.”
“The future of the Antarctic Ice Sheet and the implications of melting for global sea-level rise is central to Australia’s coastal management as well as the welfare of the world’s population.”
“We aim to highlight the importance of Antarctic and Southern Ocean science for informing climate policy and emission reduction targets, and discuss what policy makers need from our research community,” said Prof Bindoff.
The conference is designed to foster collaboration between institutions and across disciplines, from humanities to glaciology, from atmospheric science to technology, from history to tipping points.
The program features a career development day for young researchers, an opening ceremony led by the UTAS Vice-Chancellor, a science comedy night for the public, an Antarctic women’s networking event, and tours of national icebreaker RSV Nuyina.
The conference is jointly sponsored by the Australian Antarctic Program Partnership (AAPP), the ARC Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS), Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF) and the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD).
