[ON DEMAND] International Women's Day panel discussion – Changing climates

Hosted by the ANU Women's Alumni Network (WAN), this event embraces 2022 International Women's Day, Changing Climates: Equality today for a sustainable tomorrow. The discussion will bring together leaders in the field of climate change to discuss the impact of climate change on women and the role that women play in bringing about impactful change, and share the unique insights of ANU women alumni and staff in this space.

Meet our panelists:

• Rebecca Colvin

  Bec Colvin is a social scientist and senior lecturer with the Resources, Environment & Development Group at the ANU Crawford School of Public Policy. Bec researches the social and political dimensions of contentious issues associated with climate policy and energy transition. Her research is focused on understanding the complexity of how different people and groups engage with social, policy, and political conflict about climate and energy issues, particularly through the theoretical lens of the social identity approach. She has explored conflict about wind energy, coal seam gas, coal, and climate policy and energy transition more broadly, in settings ranging from the public sphere through to local communities.

  Most recently, she has published research on how local residents' policy priorities for economic diversification of the coal-producing Upper Hunter region, and patterns of aggregate public opinion about climate change in Australia. In 2022, she will commence work on an Australian Research Council Discovery Project that seeks to understand the influence of 'unconventional advocates' - like farmers, business people, and political conservatives - on public opinion about climate policy.

• Annika Reynolds

  Annika Reynolds is a young leader in the Australian climate justice movement and a non-binary advocate. They are the CEO and Founder of GreenLaw, a youth-led research institute leveraging the vision of the next generation of legal researchers and lawyers to tackle the climate crisis. Annika is also an inaugural Youth Chair of Environment and Human Rights at Australian Lawyers for Human Rights. In 2021, Annika was awarded the Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG Pinnacle Scholarship for their leadership within the Queer community; and late last year they also graduated with first class honours from ANU with degrees in Laws (Honours) and International Security Studies, minoring in Korean.

  They are a recognised writer with words in New Mandala, International Law Association Reporter, Women's Agenda, The Canberra Times and Pro Bono News and have provided interviews in major outlets, including The Guardian. Annika has previously been a consultant for major environmental organisations, including the Australian Conservation Foundation, a researcher in Federal Parliament and worked in private law. In 2019-2020, Annika was the Research Assistant to Dr Sarah Heathcoate on international organisations in the South Pacific, and to Dr Peter Burnett on Australia-first research into the decision-making practices of the Federal Environment Department.

• Marianna O'Gorman

  Marianna works with organisations who want to transition to a sustainable economy. She is a non-executive director, specialising in climate governance and risk. She has previously held roles as an adviser to the Prime Minister and Climate Change Minister; at the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and at the World Bank in Washington. She has worked on national climate change policy and been involved in many governmental and international climate change negotiations. She is a Chief Executive Women Sustainability Scholar and was awarded the Ross Garnaut Prize for Master of Climate Change Studies at the ANU. Marianna is passionate about the marine environment and its protection and is out early most mornings, exploring the sea, swimming with turtles, stingrays and the occasional baby shark

Meet our moderator:

• Dr Shamaruh Mirza

  Shamaruh is a Bangladeshi-Australian Scientist. She completed her PhD and Post-Doctoral research in Medical Science and Biophysics, respectively, from the Australian National University. Throughout her work as a senior scientist working for Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), Shamaruh has continued to work for the wellbeing of culturally and linguistically divers (CALD) community and its members, and is deputy chair of the CALD network committee in the Department of Health, Government of Australia.

  In 2017, she started a small volunteer run non-for-profit organisation, Sitara's Story, with the aim to help women in our community build confidence, mental and physical wellbeing and as a result empower them to be the best versions of themselves. SiTara's Story has been recognised by ACT Government and ABC Canberra for its contribution to communities through the 2021 ACT Mental Health Month award and Canberra Community Spirits Award finalist nomination given to Sitara's Story Secretary and cofounder Dr Shamaruh Mirza.

Meet the WAN committee members:

• Josephine Janssen (BA, BBA '17) - Chair of the Women's Alumni Network.
• Alicia Lillington (BIntRlns '13) - Co-Chair of the Women's Alumni Network.

Registration

Virtual event - free to attend, however registration is required to receive the access details.