The Australian National University, in association with the ACT Branch of the Order of Australia Association, is pleased to present the 2025 Order of Australia Lecture.

Emeritus Professor Mark Howden AC FAA FTSE will deliver this year's keynote: Go hard or go slow on climate change? What’s in the national interest?

In Australia, the political discourse on trajectories of greenhouse gas emissions is far from settled with positions ranging from a substantial reduction in emissions by 2035 to removal of the bipartisan net-zero by 2050 goal. This is just one example of how the public discourse on climate change is becoming increasingly divorced from both the evidence-base and the lived reality of people in Australia and across our region. Much of the media and political attention remains focused on the costs of transitioning from fossil fuel-based electricity supplies towards renewables, largely missing the many benefits of an effective energy transition and ignoring that this sector is only about 30% of our emissions profile (and hence omits the opportunities from other sources). Similarly, there is media coverage of the growing cost of individual climate extreme events but the dots are often not joined to give an overall picture of the escalating damage bill nor are the benefits of adaptation options covered. This lack of an overview is arguably hampering rational debate as to our desired overall trajectory and in the process costing us and future generations dearly. This presentation will address the overall costs and benefits of climate action vs inaction.

Don’t miss this opportunity to gain new perspectives and contribute to the conversation. The speaker will share his vision for a better world and invite us to think differently about the challenges we face.

The event will open with an address by Interim Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Rebekah Brown FASSA. Audience questions will be welcomed and facilitated by Mr Andrew Phelan, who will also deliver the vote of thanks.

About the speakers

Emeritus Professor Mark Howden AC FAA FTSE is a Vice Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and was until recently the Director of the ANU Institute for Climate, Energy and Disaster Solutions and Chair of the ACT Climate Change Council. He contributes to several other major national and international science and policy advisory bodies. Mark has worked on climate variability, climate change, innovation and adoption issues for almost 40 years in partnership with many industry, community and policy groups via both research and science-policy roles and is a high-profile public communicator. He helped develop the national and international greenhouse gas inventories that are a fundamental part of the Paris Agreement and pioneered sustainable ways to reduce emissions. He has been a major contributor to the IPCC since 1991, with a record number of roles across all four dimensions of the IPCC: climate science, impacts and adaptation, mitigation and GHG inventories, sharing the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with other IPCC contributors and Al Gore.

Mr Andrew Michael Phelan AM is the Chair of the ACT Branch of the Order of Australia Association, and was the Chief Executive & Principal Registrar of the High Court of Australia from 2007 until his retirement in 2018. In the two decades prior to his appointment to that office, Andrew held numerous Commonwealth senior executive law enforcement, court administrative, legal, international and general management positions. Mr Phelan was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to judicial administration in the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours List.

The Order of Australia Lecture

The annual Order of Australia Association - The Australian National University Lecture was established in 2010 to further recognise the contribution made by academic members of the Order of Australia to the fabric of Australian society. Now in its 15th year, this lecture has seen distinguished scholars covering topics including national security, First Nations issues, sciences, and the arts.

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