Catalyst Kōrero with Dr Greg Bodeker, Monday October 30
Even climate change sceptics cannot deny Cyclone Gabrielle, the saturated summer of much of the North Island, and other extreme weather events over the past year.
Is it because of human caused climate change? Will such extreme weather events become both more extreme and more common?
According to Alexandra-based climate scientist and Bodeker Scientific director Greg Bodeker, the answer to both questions is a very definite yes.
He has studied climate for over 30 years and Bodeker Scientific is currently leading several collaborative research projects into climate change and its effects.
He says the impacts of climate change will likely be most keenly and immediately felt through changes in extreme weather. Aotearoa New Zealand is highly vulnerable to this. Between 2007 and 2017, insured and economic losses due to flooding and drought totalled more than $4.7 billion, of which some $840 million was estimated as attributable to human influence on climate.
Understanding extreme weather such as floods, droughts and storms is critical for effective and efficient adaptation decisions, long-term community resilience and spatial planning, Dr Bodeker adds. And yet, it is a major gap in climate change understanding.
Monday October 30, 6 -7.30pm, The Rees Hotel Queenstown’s conference room, with all koha going to KiwiHarvest. Registration required on Catalyst Trust’s Eventbrite page in the month prior.
About The Speaker
Greg’s expertise is in atmospheric and climate science. He has published more than 130 papers in these fields. He has held international leadership roles in climate science, including for the World Climate Research Programme and the Global Climate Observing System. In addition to being the director of Bodeker Scientific Ltd, he is also co-founder of Red Sky AI, and is the director of Kentron. In addition to his primary work in climate science, he has also worked as a professional software developer. Since 2009 he has been an adjunct professor at the New Zealand Climate Change Research Institute, in the School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences, at Victoria University.