Coastal conference
examines topical development issues
There is still time
to get involved in one of Australia’s premier environmental events with the
Coast to Coast Conference (C2C) 2012 being held in Brisbane this month.
The preeminent event
attracts around 400 scientists, academics, policy makers, managers and
community workers from Australia
and overseas.
C2C Organising
Committee Chair, Dr Mara Wolkenhauer, said with 90 per cent of Australia’s
population located on the coast, this year’s theme, Living on the Edge, is extremely relevant.
“For now and the
future it pays to remain mindful of how our environmental impacts all
eventually lead to the coast. Inland and upstream development, industry and
agricultural activity can affect our waterways, most of which ultimately flow
to the ocean,” Dr Wolkenhauer said.
“This event offers a
forum to explore those challenges and aims to focus debate, discussion and
learning at international, national, regional, state and local levels.”
The event will
feature internationally acclaimed, historian, novelist and essayist, Ronald
Wright, as one of the keynote speakers. His best seller, A Short History of Progress, inspired a recent documentary produced
by Martin Scorsese titled, Surviving
Progress.
Antony Funnell from
ABC Radio National will host a debate “Living
on the Edge – coasting along or crisis” examining if progress will push
coastal communities over the edge. The debate will feature author Ronald
Wright, development industry representative Dr Mark Gibbs, and leading
scientists including Prof Hugh Possingham and Prof Bruce Thom, to be later
broadcast on ABC Radio National’s Big
Ideas program.
Coast to Coast 2012
is at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre from September 17-21. For
more information visit www.coast2coastconference.com.
www.ausmepa.org.au
