The Massey University School of People, Environment and Planning invite you to a webinar “Compound exposure in the Pacific: how our solution to climate change could make things worse” given by Associate Professor Nick Bainton from Austrailain National University. Nick is an anthropologist at the ANU School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet). He has spent the last 20 years leading research on the social and political impacts of resource extraction in the Pacific Islands region and beyond, more recently focusing on the impacts of supplying raw materials needed for global energy transitions.
Abstract
The prevailing solution to our planetary problem is a rapid transition to renewable energy- systems. Building these new energy-systems will, however, require vast amounts of minerals and metals. This much is well known, and governments and the extractive industries are now desperately trying to source these materials and capitalise on the latest resources boom, fuelling a rush for critical minerals and opening new resource frontiers, including the deep oceans.
Much less is known about the contradictions and risks that will accompany this particular solution to climate change. Many of the minerals and metals needed for renewables are located in places that are already acutely exposed to climate change. The Pacific Islands region is one such place. We expect that extractive pressures and perils will converge with the impacts of climate change well before the transition to renewables kicks in and reduces climate threats in places like the Pacific. We call this contradictory process Compound Exposure. This presentation will characterise the features of compound exposure in the Pacific. We hope to open up discussion on policy pathways to avoid the worst effects of compound exposure in the Pacific, and beyond.
Details
In-person attendees will gather SST 3.07 Manawatū Campus, Massey University.
Nick will ‘Zoom’ in and the seminar will be accessible for online participation here.