Workshop Two:  Local Governments and Their Climate Risk - Assessment, Reduction and Management Strategies

Many local governments are now considering undertaking risk assessments and developing climate change adaptation plans.  What are they finding?  What issues are being covered?  How big are the risks – and are they physical, legal or financial?

Climate Risk is one of the most experienced practitioners in Australia and has undertaken 25 local government risk assessments.  They are also international experts on the effects of climate change on insurance and currently train insurance brokers on how address climate change issues with their commercial and local government clients.

Workshop Objective

Climate Risk will run a half day workshop that provides techniques that local governments can and are using to successfully capture and map the emerging risks.  Using practical examples from various projects Dr Karl Mallon will demonstrate how the process of building an effective adaptation plan is developed.

Workshop Programme:

08.30 Registration and welcome coffee

09.00 Session 1
• Introduction and pre-reading for attendees
• A review of current climate change science in Australia
• The use of the Climate Risk Diamond to interrogate risks
• Typical areas of risk attribution in council departments

10.30 Morning tea

11.00 Session 2
• The process of risk reduction
• The process of finding potential opportunities
• Building an Adaptation Strategy
• Q&A and Final Conclusions

13.00     Close of workshop

About your Workshop Leader

Dr Karl Mallon, Director & Head of Science and Systems, Climate Risk

Karl is director of Science and Systems at Climate Risk. A First Class Honours graduate in Physics he holds a Doctorate in Mechanical Engineering, Karl has worked in climate change mitigation, policy and technical analysis since 1991.

He is editor and co-author of ‘Renewable Energy Policy and Politics: A Handbook for Decision Making’ published by Earthscan (London) and has worked with various international government and non-government organisations since 1997.

He currently specializes in climate change impact risk to local government, insurance, institutional investment and works with large corporations on opportunities for strategic adaptation to a carbon and climate constrained economy.