Meeting the Challenge of a Changing Planet
VIEW EVENT DETAILSEvening Discussion
Drinks Reception 6:30pm;
Dialogue 7:00pm;
Close 8:00pm
Climate change is one of the world's most urgent challenges and an immediate risk to our communities, economies and to nature. At particular risk is Papua New Guinea which is surrounded by the vast Pacific Ocean to the north and the Bismarck Sea to the south. Many of the atolls and islands that make up the province face the risk of sinking as the sea level rises, and as climate change takes its toll on these islands, threatening sources of food, clean drinking water and livelihoods for the island communities. Join The Nature Conservancy's Lead Scientist for Asia Pacific Dr. Eddie Game, Papua New Guinea Conservation Coordinator Manuai Matawai and Patrick McGee, lead writer for fastFT as they discuss some of these challenges, the promising solutions, and share highlights of The Nature Conservancy's climate change work in Asia Pacific, including Manuai Matawai 's groundbreaking "Climate Challenger" 2,400km canoe journey through Melanesia to restore cultural connections across communities and reveal the increasingly grave effects that climate change has had on island countries.
Eddie Game is Lead Scientist for The Nature Conservancy in the Asia Pacific Region. He is responsible for ensuring that The Nature Conservancy remains a world leader in making science based conservation decisions, reporting on the impact and getting the greatest return for conservation investments. Dr. Game has worked on conservation projects in over 15 countries, helping to apply innovative methods and analyses to projects as diverse as community protected areas in the Solomon Islands, grazing management in northern Kenya and catchment restoration in Colombia. Dr. Game has a Ph.D. from the University of Queensland and is editor-in-chief of Conservation Letters, one of the sector’s high-impact peer-reviewed science journals.
Manuai Matawai is Community Conservation Coordinator for The Nature Conservancy’s Papua New Guinea Program. He is based in Papua New Guinea’s smallest island province, Manus. Mr. Matawai has been on the forefront of initiating community discussions and initiatives in ensuring communities organize themselves to adapt to the changing conditions as they continue to live on the islands. His effort of spreading awareness on climate change went as far as the Bismarck and Solomon Seas on a sea voyage he skippered on a traditionally hand-made canoe in 2013. With a background in tropical fisheries, he also works with scientists in studying fish species in the waters of Manus.
Patrick McGee, based in Hong Kong, is the lead writer for fastFT, a new service from the Financial Times (FT) that provides market-moving news and views, 24 hours a day. Prior to joining the FT in early 2013, Mr. McGee worked for Dow Jones and the Wall Street Journal in New York, where he covered the credit markets. Previously, he spent two years at The Bond Buyer reporting on public finance and bond insurance. He began writing about the financial crisis in August 2007 with Canadian Economic Press, where he was Treasury correspondent, macroeconomics reporter and a Fed watcher. (Moderator)
Co-presented with The Nature Conservancy
Media Partner
Event Details
Asia Society Hong Kong Center, 9 Justice Drive, Admiralty