Archive for November, 2009

The Consul-General of the Federal Republic of Germany, Mr Hans G. Gnodtke (pictured here), is visiting the University of New England today to discuss the benefits of academic links between Australia and Germany.
UNE’s Chancellor, Dr Richard Torbay, said UNE had much to gain from expanding its international links with Europe through the German Academic Exchange Service.
Mr Gnodtke’s visit coincides with the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on 9 November, 1989.
“It is a great honour to welcome the German Consul-General to the University, and to strengthen our international ties and explore collaborations with the European Community,” Dr Torbay said.
“Mr Gnodtke has a distinguished record of diplomatic service - particularly in the area of international relations, where his efforts in his role as the Commissioner for Dialogue with the Muslim World have won him appreciation,” he said.
To mark this historic anniversary, Mr Gnodtke is presenting the Armidale community with a special lecture titled “20 Years after the Fall of the Berlin Wall - Implications for Europe’s Political Landscape”.
In addition to the lecture, he is discussing with students the opportunities presented by academic exchanges with Germany.
The Head of UNE’s School of Law, Professor Juergen Brohmer, said that students from across Australia and New Zealand were involved in the German exchange, but that UNE had the largest contingent of students in the program. “This speaks volumes about UNE’s willingness to get engaged on the global stage,” Professor Brohmer said.
Dr Torbay commended Professor Brohmer for his efforts to expand the University’s international links. “Professor Brohmer’s initiative and his tireless work in promoting such international links will position UNE well to take advantage of further collaborative opportunities as they emerge,” Dr Torbay said.
This article was written by UNE’s Marketing and Public Affairs and reproduced here with their permission.

Professor Michael Jeffrey, QC, will deliver the next Kirby Seminar, Wishful Thinking or a Meaningful Part of the Climate Change Solution on Wednesday 11 November at 3pm in Lewis Seminar Room (Law School).
Abstract:
In the lead-up to the climate change negotiations that are scheduled to take place in Copenhagen towards the end of 2009, pursuant to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and in order to reach agreement on a post-Kyoto Protocol international climate change regime, many countries around the globe are considering the options available to them to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in a manner that will minimize the cost impacts to economies already battered from the onslaught of the 2008 global financial crisis.

In addition to confronting a markedly changed geopolitical landscape including the election of a new administration in the United States under the Democrats and President Barack Obama, the ongoing military confrontation between Hamas and the Israelis in Gaza, an outbreak of terrorist attacks in Mumbai, and Iran drawing ever closer to the possible development of nuclear weapons, the international community is facing what is predicted by some to be the most severe and prolonged economic downturn since the 1930s and the Great Depression. The collapse of the banking systems in several countries Triggered, in part, by the sub-prime mortgage crisis in the United States has inevitably led to a credit crisis around the globe as job layoffs are expected to climb throughout 2009 and into 2010.

The impact of these events on the ability of the international community to address the climate change challenges that lie ahead is fraught with uncertainty and the reluctance of the world’s major coal producers to abandon or curtail an industry of vital economic importance in terms of both jobs and exports, has elevated carbon capture and storage (CCS) to increasing levels of importance in the consideration of available energy options. It remains to be seen whether the attention and investment dollars presently committed to the development of CCS technologies around the globe is warranted. This address will endeavour to outline how CCS is currently viewed by Australia and the European Union as part of their respective energy strategies.