Clear and present failure - climate policy in Australia

On this Policy Forum Pod, top climate researcher Mark Howden, social scientist Bec Colvin, and science writer Ketan Joshi examine the past and present struggles of Australia’s climate policies, and how policymakers can put the country on the right track.

Does this Federal Budget represent another missed opportunity for Australia to take meaningful action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions? Despite poll after poll showing Australians want to see action on climate change, why is there still such a gap between government policy and public opinion? And how can policymakers clear this blockage and ensure they are creating evidence-based policy? On this episode of Policy Forum Pod, ANU Climate Change Institute Director Professor Mark Howden, Crawford School of Public Policy’s Dr Bec Colvin, and science writer Ketan Joshi examine the Federal Budget, the so-called ‘gas-led recovery’, and the history of Australian climate policy.

Mark Howden is Director of the ANU Climate Change Institute. Mark was a major contributor to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports for the United Nations, for which he shares a Nobel Peace Prize.

Bec Colvin is a Lecturer at ANU Crawford School of Public Policy with the Resources, Environment & Development Group. Prior to joining Crawford, she was a knowledge exchange specialist for the ANU Climate Change Institute.

Ketan Joshi is a science writer. His most recent book is Windfall: Unlocking a fossil-free future, which discusses the speed with which emissions could have been lowered if it weren't for a series of policy disasters.

Martyn Pearce is a presenter for Policy Forum Pod and the Editor of Policy Forum.

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