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Film screening: Antarctica – The Giant Awakens
Sat 20 July 2024, 4 - 6 pm
National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, McCoy Cct, Acton ACT
WCC has great pleasure in hosting the important film Antarctica - The Giant Awakens, by award-winning social entrepreneur and documentary-maker, Liz Courtney. One of more than 55 documentaries Liz has written and directed, Antarctica - The Giant Awakens was created while Liz was Artist in Residence at the the Earth Observatory of Singapore. Subsequently she has received Global awards from Women Changing the World for her work in Media and in Science, Tech and Engineering.
The documentary follows a team of female climate scientists on a mission to Antarctica led by Professor Benjamin Horton, Director of The Earth Observatory of Singapore and one of the world’s leading experts in sea-level rise.
Accompanied by renowned Director of Photography Michael Dillon AM and with a special drone licence for aerial photography, the team is shown conducting innovative scientific research and providing critical insights into the pace of Antarctica's rapid melt and its implications for the region. Despite Antarctica's geographical distance from the tropical landscapes of Australia, Oceania, and Asia, the rapidly changing Antarctic ice sheet presents a significant danger to these regions, with potential global implications.
The awe-inspiring scenery and scientific implications bring great emotional depth to the film but, as Liz says, the message is ultimately one of hope - ‘through the voices of the younger generation that are in this film - they talk about the fact that we need action. Without action there is not hope and without hope there is not action - so these 2 things have to work together, and how we can all be part of the solution’ (Liz Courtney, ABC Radio Canberra, ‘Afternoons’, Wed 10 July, 2024)
At this special screening in the surroundings of the National Film and Sound Archive, the film will be introduced by Liz Courtney and Professor Dorrit Jacob (Director, ANU Research School of Earth Sciences). After the film, Liz Courtney, Dr Mark Hoggard and other ANU researcher/s (TBC) in the areas of climate and oceans will explore with WCC Founder Dr Janet Salisbury the impact of climate change on frozen lands and how women leaders are taking this important discussion forward.
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Climate change response is essential work for feminists
Equality Rights Alliance Gender Equality Symposium: Working Together for Women 2024
Melbourne, 3 July, 2024
Introduced and moderated by Victoria McKenzie-McHarg (Women's Environmental Leadership Australia), this important panel discussion included WCC Steering Circle member, Dr Mary Picard, Bianca McNeair (Buyungurra Nyarlu Turtle Monitoring Program) and Clare Gibellini (Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA).
In her introduction, Victoria refers to a research report recently launched by WELA - Gender, Climate and Environmental Justice in Australia and discusses why much more attention is still needed on the inclusion of women in envirornmental and climate change policy setting and decision making. When able to lead on their own terms, women bring different policy prioirties that are reflected in different decisions and outcomes but this is not happening and women are mostly still fitting into patriarchal paradigms - sometimes without even realising it. Watch the video for Victoria’s powerful presentation.
Speaking about the WCC, Mary says:
"I think women are the connectors internationally as well as nationally and know that’s one of the things that the Women’s Climate Congress is really interested in doing – is basically mobilising women to have these fairly positive conversations at community level and with parliamentarians to develop a sustainable future.
So that’s really about bringing a gender equality lens and women’s leadership and empowerment to these conversations, and I think groups like this (i.e., international women’s organisations), and the Women’s Climate Congress, are really important for cutting across because I think that government structures are inherently inflexible. So, it’s a lot of work but I think that is something that we can do."
The missing link: Women leadership in climate action
13 May 2024
As part of Syntropic World’s celebrations for Climate Action Week Sydney, She Changes Climate will host a virtual discussion on ‘The missing link: Women leadership in climate action’.
WCC Founder Dr Janet Salisbury will appear alongside Mamta Borgoyary (Executive Director, She Changes Climate) and Tishiko King (Ambassador, She Changes Climate), with Christine McDougall (Founder, Syntropic World) facilitating.
Reflections on International Women’s Day 2024
8 March 2024
The Agrifood Innovation Institute and the ARC Training Centre for Future Crops Development hosted an International Women's Day event in March 2024.
Dr Janet Salisbury (Founder of WCC) and Dr Lauren DuFall (CEO, ARC Training Centre for Future Crops Development) presented their reflections on what International Women's Day means to them in the context of the 2024 theme 'Count Her In: Invest in Women. Accelerate Progress'.
Target 1.5 degrees: What are the barriers?
Global Compassion Coalition webinar, 28 February 2024
In early February 2024, scientists at the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service released findings which showed that temperatures across the year 2023 exceeded a 1.5 degree rise above pre-industrial levels.
This was the level at which world leaders had previously pledged to cap global temperature rises. Faced with the latest evidence of the inadequate progress in tackling climate change, we need to understand: what are the barriers to change?
What psychological, logistical, financial, economic, and political challenges stand in the way of us making a huge leap forward in protecting ourselves and our planet from the climate crisis?
These were the topics discussed during Target 1.5 degrees: What are the barriers?, an event hosted by Global Compassion Coalition and featuring nonprofit leader Ciara Byrne alongside WCC’s Dr. Janet Salisbury and Dr. Lynne Reeder.
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