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The 2023 Paul Bourke Lecture presented by Dr Sophie Webber, School of Geosciences, University of Sydney

‘Climate finance: Taking a position on climate futures’

Climate change is increasingly conceptualised in financial terms. In policy and politics, climate change is viewed as a problem of bridging ‘financing’ gaps between the anticipated costs of climate change and available public and private finance, between developed and developing countries, and between mitigation and adaptation activities. These categorisations tend to frame climate finance as a neutral and technical tool for meeting shared goals for responding to climate change.

In this presentation, hear an alternative geographical perspective that is focused on how the ideas, instruments and institutions of climate finance are reshaping the relationships between our economies and climate change. Illustrated with examples of adaptation finance from the Asia-Pacific region, I outline different configurations of climate finance and demonstrate their potentials for more democratic and just climate futures.

Plus Q&A, followed by a cocktail reception.

A new analysis shows the most widely cited happiness studies relied on poor research methods.

The post Bummer: Popular Happiness Strategies Are a Bust appeared first on Nautilus.

'This is Just Practice' reads the sub-title of Marisa Holmes' book Organizing Occupy Wall Street, which is the latest addition to the Alternatives and Futures: Cultures, Practices, Activism and Utopias series. The book reverberates with revolutionary intent: a threat and a promise.

The post A Human Geography of the Space of The Square appeared first on Progress in Political Economy (PPE).

The story behind the scare that an atomic bomb would ignite the atmosphere into a fireball.

The post The Day Oppenheimer Feared He Might Blow Up the World appeared first on Nautilus.

This exoplanet’s sun should have obliterated its atmosphere. It's still going strong.

The post The Shiniest Planet Has Clouds of Metal and Glass appeared first on Nautilus.

How the theory of relativity explains our minds.

The post Consciousness Is In Your Head. I Consulted Einstein appeared first on Nautilus.

We can write a different ending for critically endangered species.

The post A Wild Promise appeared first on Nautilus.

We can rewrite the script on bad dreams.

The post How a Dream Engineer Defeats Nightmares appeared first on Nautilus.

At Gorongosa National Park, scientists are determined to understand how an ecosystem recovers from the decimation of war.

The post Inside This Extraordinary Living Lab appeared first on Nautilus.

Change is afoot at the Reserve Bank of Australia. This week the Treasurer announced Michele Bullock will take over from Philip Lowe as Governor of the RBA. Lowe had faced mounting political heat after he abandoned forward guidance given as late as November 2021 that interest rates would not rise until 2024 and joined central banks around the world in rapidly hiking interest rates.  

One of Bullock’s first tasks will be to oversee the implementation of the recommendations of the Review into the RBA released in March 2023. Most attention about the Review has focused on its proposed structural changes to the RBA, which would create separate boards for monetary policy decisions and institutional governance. This change will bring the RBA in line with many of its international peers. Last week, outgoing Governor Philip Lowe announced initial steps towards implementing this recommendation.