International climate negotiations are intensifying towards the Paris 2015 UN climate conference that is meant to strike a post-2020 climate agreement. The UN Secretary General is hosting a leaders’ summit in September 2014, and countries have been invited to put forward their post-2020 emission reduction goals in the first quarter of 2015. This public forum will reflect on the outlook for global action, including key elements of the post-2020 agreement, what ‘success’ in Paris might look like, and implications for Australia’s emission reduction goals to 2020 and beyond. It will also explore how Australia could use international emission reductions to strengthen its 2020 target. Senior members of the Climate Change Authority will present the Authority’s most recent reports, and ANU academics will provide perspectives.

Anthea Harris is CEO of the Climate Change Authority. Prior to her appointment, she was a Chief Adviser within the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, where she played a leading role in the development of the carbon pricing mechanism and associated measures. Ms Harris served in the National Emissions Trading Taskforce from 2005 to 2007, and earlier worked on the NSW Greenhouse Gas Reduction Scheme. Ms Harris previously held positions with the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet and at the Productivity Commission.

Kath Rowley is General Manager at the Climate Change Authority, where she leads reviews and analysis of Australia’s climate action and mitigation policies. Ms Rowley has worked on climate and energy policy since 2004, including representing Australia in international climate negotiations, and contributing to Treasury’s economic modelling of climate policy. Before joining the Authority Ms Rowley was North American Director of the global think tank Climate Policy Initiative.

Frank Jotzo is director of the Centre for Climate Economics and Policy and associate professor at the Crawford School. He earlier worked as senior advisor to the Garnaut Climate Change Review and has led research relevant to climate policy in Australia, China and Indonesia.

Stephen Howes is a Professor of Economics at the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University He is the Director of the Development Policy Centre, as well as the International and Development Economics teaching program at the Crawford School.

This event is presented by the Centre for Climate Economics and Policy at Crawford School of Public Policy at The Australian National University, in partnership with C20 Australia.