Tim Flannery

In his newest book, Here on Earth, Tim Flannery, Australian scientist and author, offers a sweeping account of the dual evolutionary history of Earth and the life it supports. Beginning with the birth of stars to the creation of water and the accident of simple life forms, Flannery will document life ... (more)up through the 2-million-year rise of our human species and ponders our future as a "superorganism" capable of either sustaining or destroying the planet's ecosystems. Free and open to public.

Hosted by CBC's Lucy van Oldenbarneveld Mayfair Theatre (1074 Bank st.) Tickets: $15/ $10 student or senior We stand at a crossroads, where comprehension of our place in nature—of our true abilities and of our history— is supremely important. We have formed a global civilization of unprecedented ... (more)might, driven forward by the power of our minds—a civilization that is transforming our Earth. We are masters of technology, and of comprehension, but it’s what we believe that may, from now on, determine our fate. We are now equipped as never before to explore our true relationship with the planet on which our biological, economic and cultural futures depend.

The author talk is followed by question time, light refreshment, and the opportunity for book signing. The program is free and no booking is required.

Tim Flannery will discuss his new Quarterly Essay, Now or Never, which looks at sustainability, our search for it in the twenty-first century, and how it will impact upon the environmental threats that confront us today. Tim Flannery discusses in some detail three potential solutions to the most pressing ... (more)of the current sustainability challenges: climate change. He argues that Australia has a special responsibility when it comes to climate change, and that our prime minister could be a critical player on the global stage in Copenhagen in December 2009 – but only if we take swift and effective action and make sharp cuts in emissions. Brilliant and terrifying, Now or Never is a call to arms by Australia’s leading thinker and writer on the natural world.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm.
Theatre.

The Friends of the National Library of Australia are pleased to present the 2008 Kenneth Myer Lecture
Climate Change: an update to July 2008
To be given by
Professor Tim Flannery.

This lecture is about climate change ... (more)- what we know now, how we know it, and what we might expect to happen in our world in the next few decades and beyond. This lecture is also about books and documentary records - how they can help us understand what is happening to our planet. From the sometimes dodgy descriptions in the ancient histories of Herodotus and the beautifully flawed accounts by the blind naturalist Rumphius, to the plagues of London described by the diarist Samuel Pepys and the records of Australia's early explorers as they recorded the knowledge they gained from Indigenous people, the world's books give us a unique window on the natural world.

Professor Tim Flannery is one of Australia’s leading thinkers and writers. An internationally acclaimed scientist, explorer and conservationist, his books include The Future Eaters and The Weather Makers. In 2007 Tim Flannery co-founded and was appointed Chair of The Copenhagen Climate Council. He is currently a Professor at Sydney's Macquarie University and was honoured as Australian of the Year in 2007.

Free admission.
Bookings essential: (02) 6262 1698 or friends@nla.gov.au
THIS EVENT IS NOW BOOKED OUT BUT A WAITING LIST IS BEING TAKEN IN CASE OF CANCELLATIONS

Bookplate will be open following the lecture and serving light suppers.