Circular economy solutions for a changing climate
WRC Professor Tommy Wiedmann, a leading sustainability researcher, contributor to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report, and Program Leader of the Sustainability Assessment Program at UNSW, spoke at a recent webinar organised by the Australian Circular Economy Hub (ACE). Circular economy proponents say that the hard-fought transition to renewable energy would still just be half the story in addressing climate change. That not until we adopt the circular economy as a way to make and produce materials, products, and food, will we begin to see the complete picture of a resilient, net-zero world.
The latest global Circularity Gap Report found that a circular economy could cut greenhouse gas emissions by 39 per cent and limit global temperature rise to below 2 degrees. The webinar discussion covered the latest circular economy and climate research, key drivers of change for governments, and hopes for this year's COP26 conference. The recording is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6Na1Oh7etk&t=1s
The other panellists were:
- Jelmer Hoogzaad, Founder of Shifting Paradigms and lead author of the 2021 Circularity Gap Report and recent Climate Change Mitigation through the Circular Economy report.
- Lisa McLean, CEO of NSW Circular and leader in Australia's circular economy.
The discussion was facilitated by Dr Nicole Garofano, Head of Circular Economy Development at Planet Ark.
The event organiser Planet Ark said: “For ACE Hub’s first evening event, hitting almost 400 registrations, as well as a really engaged live audience, was one of our most successful events.”
