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UN Rio+20 Side Event - Responding to the Global Soil Crisis
27 April 2012
Global soil degradation is increasingly being recognised as a threat to food security, biodiversity and fresh water security. Scientists, alarmed that the rate of topsoil loss is now exceeding the rate of soil formation, are determining the environmental sustainability thresholds for soil erosion and calculating the timescales at which the world runs out of topsoil. At the same time, the fundamental role of soil in the delivery of ecosystem services including food and fibre production, fresh water regulation and support of biodiversity, has largely been ignored in international policy. Given projected increases in global population this issue now has critical significance.
To bring further attention to the issue of global soil degradation, and to build support for the issue to be addressed at Rio+20, the Australian Government hosted a side event to the informal-informal negotiations for Rio+20 at the United Nations in New York on Tuesday 25th April. The Hon Robert Hill, Adjunct Professor of Sustainability at the United States Studies Centre and former Ambassador to the UN, chaired the event. Speakers included members of the US Studies Centre Soil Carbon Initiative international coalition of soil scientists, Professor Rattan Lal from Ohio State University, and Professor Alex McBratney from the University of Sydney. Dr Neil McKenzie, Chief of Land and Water with CSIRO represented the Australian Government. The UN Convention on the prevention of Desertification and Drought (UNCCD) was represented by Dr Nandhini Iya Krishna, from the UNCCD New York Liaison Office.
The Benin Ambassador to the UN and representatives from the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the European Commission, the Ghana Mission to the UN, the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies in Potsdam, Germany, the United States Department of Agriculture and the Savory Institute responded to the presentations.
Bob Carr: Postgraduate Information Evening
6 October 2011
Former NSW premier and Centre board director, Bob Carr, spoke to the gathering about the US presidency – including his recent reassessment of John Kennedy having listened to his 1963 ‘peace speech’ urging an end to the Cold War. The night at Sydney’s MLC Centre was intended to provide information and enable prospective students and their families to speak to academic, administrative staff, and former students, about the US Studies Centre’s postgraduate course offerings. Dean Fernandez, graduate, Master of Letters in US Studies and Lauren Haumesser also presented on this fun-filled evening.
Soil Carbon Stakeholder Workshop
3 February 2011
As part of its Dow Sustainability Program, the US Studies Centre in collaboration with the Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources at the University of Sydney hosted leading soil and plant scientists from the USA, Canada, Europe, UK and Australasia for a three-day Science Summit, culminating in a Stakeholder Workshop on 3 February.
Reception for US Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia
1 February 2011
The US Studies Centre and American Australian Association in partnership with Mallesons Stephen Jaques held a cocktail reception honouring US Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia in Sydney. Scalia is presently the longest-serving jurist on the US Supreme court.
City of the Future
16 November 2010
The future of cities in the United States and Australia was explored in a landmark urban-planning conference in Brisbane's Parliament House on 15-16 November 2010, co-hosted by the US Studies Centre and the Global Change Institute at the University of Queensland.
Senior Obama Administration officials US Assistant Secretary of Transport, Polly Trottenberg, and US Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Raphael Bostic, joined US business leaders including Dow Chemical Executive Vice President, David Kepler, and the President of Growth Initiatives for Alcoa, Kevin Kramer, and Australian experts to discuss public policy and private sector solutions to the urban challenges facing both countries.
Welcome reception for United States Consul General
21 September 2010
The United States Studies Centre, the American Australian Association and NSW Industry & Investment held a welcome cocktail reception for Niels Marquardt, the United States Consul General for Sydney, Australia.
Jack Miles at the Centre for Independent Studies
13 September 2010
Jack Miles spoke at the Centre for Independent Studies on the topic of "Waiting for the Preacher: Obama's America in World Religious Context".
Jack Miles is Senior Fellow for Religious Affairs with the Pacific Council on International Policy and Distinguished Professor of English and Religious Studies, University of California, Irvine. A past MacArthur Fellow (2003-2007), Miles won the Pulitzer Prize in 1996 for his book God: A Biography, which has since been translated into sixteen languages.
Workshop on Inequality
7 June 2010
The Workshop on Inequality brought together American and Australian scholars from economics, history, political science and sociology to assess the state of the art in inequality research as well as to discuss new research challenges and opportunities in the wake of the global financial crisis. Inequality was viewed through different lenses including race, immigration, gender, and class.
Launch of the Dow Sustainability Program
19 February 2010
A new three-year sustainability research program at the US Studies Centre was launched with US$2 million funding from the US-based Dow Chemical Company Foundation. Chief Executive Officer of Dow, Andrew Liveris, spoke at the launch.
Sustainable supply chains
15 February 2010
Harvard University’s Michael Hiscox and MIT’s Richard Locke, global leaders in research and business engagement in sustainable supply chains, introduced the state of the art in global best practice to participants of a Sustainable Supply Chains executive roundtable. The event was hosted by the US Studies Centre and the Institute of Sustainable Solutions at the University of Sydney.
VIDEOS & INTERVIEWS
Dr David Smith analyses how Obama's public support of same sex marriage may affect his re-election chances.
Edward Blakely discusses his new book 'My Storm' and the lessons that Australians can learn from Hurricane Katrina.
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