Thursday Forum: It’s a gas!

It’s a gas!  Greenhouse gases – sources, potency, half life….

Thursday, August 6th, 7pm, Kent House

The first Thursday of August, the popular Sustainable Living Armidale (SLA) Forum will focus on greenhouse gas emissions. This is apt because each country is being asked to set emissions reduction targets in preparation for the upcoming United Nations Climate Summit in Paris in December. The aim of the Summit is to achieve a universal, legally binding agreement on emissions reductions from all the nations of the world.

At the Forum, SLA will be highlighting Armidale Road To Paris, a campaign to encourage discussion about the Summit throughout the city and to pass on our diverse opinions to the Australian leaders who will attend on our behalf.

As part of the Armidale Road To Paris, SLA invited Professor Annette Cowie, from the School of Environment and Rural Science, to speak about the emission of greenhouse gases. She will talk about the natural emission of these gases and their rapid increase in the atmosphere since industrialisation. The greenhouse effect is like the planet wearing a sweater. The thicker and more potent the layer of gases in the atmosphere, the more heat is trapped. Some gases trap more heat than others. Methane, for example, has 72 times the potency of CO2 but its life span in the atmosphere is much shorter.

Professor Cowie will help us understand the different gases, their sources and their effects in order to understand the options we have in trying to limit global warming.

The forum, followed by a light supper, is on Thursday, 6 August, at 7pm at Kent House, Faulkner Street, opposite Central Park. Everyone is welcome. Gold coin donations help cover the cost.