2008 Kerferd Oration, Beechworth Campus

Professor Tim Flannery, Australian of the Year in 2007, is well known around the world for his position on global warming and environmental issues. An internationally acclaimed scientist and conservationist, Professor Flannery has published more than 130 peer-reviewed scientific papers, but it is his landmark book 'The Weather Makers' that sets him apart. This book has received widespread praise for its informed and balanced approach to climate change and has been translated into more than 20 languages. In 2006 it won the NSW Premier’s Literary Prizes for Best Critical Writing and Book of the Year. In 2007 Professor Flannery co-founded and was appointed Chair of The Copenhagen Climate Council, a coalition of community, business and political leaders who have come together to confront climate change.

Copyright 2009 Tim Flannery / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Dr David Suzuki looks at the contrast between our vaunted claims at rationality and the way we are handling ecological issues like climate change.

He argues that, in the case of climate change, our political leaders do not utilise the best information to reach a conclusion. Our political leaders factor in elements such as the next election and the business community’s needs and then adopt the kind of information that justifies their actions.

Dr Suzuki suggests that this goes directly against the strategy for survival used by our species since the beginning of our existence – using our ability to peer into the future, examine the potential dangers and opportunities, and then to act accordingly.

Introduced by Vice Chancellor Professor Paul Johnson. 2007 Sir John Quick Lecture 25 October, 2007

Copyright 2009 La Trobe University / David Suzuki all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.