Human population is one of many factors degrading the environment. The United Nations estimates that the world population will reach 9.7 billion by 2050. A growing population, and widespread aspirations for a better and more affluent lifestyle, have resulted in unsustainable impacts on the environment including in the consumption of resources, the generation of waste products, climate change and the modification of ecosystems. In this webinar, speakers will highlight population-related trends in environmental quality and consider the barriers and opportunities for developing a sustainable population strategy more in balance with Australia’s sensitive landscape, while still ensuring a reasonably comfortable, healthy and fair society.

Meet the Speaker: Dr Jane O'Sullivan and Bill Gardyne

Dr Jane O’Sullivan
Jane is an Honorary Senior Fellow at the University of Queensland and a cross-disciplinary sustainability researcher with research interests including population growth and its impacts, demographic aging, carbon pricing as a response to climate change, food security, crop nutrition and low input and semi-subsistence farming systems. Jane is an executive committee member (and Queensland branch representative) of Sustainable Population Australia, an organisation formed to raise public awareness of population and sustainability issues and comprising a community of people who are deeply concerned about environmental deterioration in the world, including climate change and biodiversity loss, and worried about the future for humanity.

Bill Gardyne
Bill has 40 years experience as an environmental practitioner with extensive experience in both natural and built environments. He is a Fellow of the EIANZ and director of Wholistic Enviro with specialties including in environmental issues for major construction and road projects, pipelines and marine projects, rehabilitation strategies and design. Bill has also acted as an expert witness for the Commonwealth and State of Queensland in relation to erosion and sediment issues. Bill adopts a wholistic approach to environmental issues, recognising that all issues interact to a greater or lesser extent and that excellence comes from recognising and understanding, both technically and financially, those interactions.

This webinar will run on Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST).