SIMON Corbell says a refreshed ACT Climate Change Council will continue in its role of providing the ACT Government with independent advice on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change.

“The ACT Climate Change Council plays a pivotal role in informing climate change policies in the ACT and in providing leadership to our community, business and industry leaders and the knowledge sector on climate change adaptation and greenhouse gas reductions,” Simon said.

“I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Penny Sackett to the Council as well as the re-appointment of Professor Barbara Norman, Professor Will Steffen and Dr Frank Jotzo.”

They join existing council members Toby Roxburgh and Dorte Ekelund.

“Their expertise and advice over the next three years will be invaluable in identifying and addressing barriers to achieving a dynamic and low carbon economy,”

• Professor Barbara Norman, ACT Climate Change Council Chair is the Foundation Chair of Urban and Regional Planning in the Faculty of Business, Government and Law, University of Canberra. Barbara is Director of Canberra Urban and Regional Futures and an Adjunct Professor with the Australian National University. She is Deputy Chair of Regional Development Australia (ACT), a Life Fellow and past National President of the Planning Institute of Australia and a Life Honorary Fellow of the Royal Town Planning Institute (UK).
• Professor Penny Sackett, ACT Climate Change Council Deputy-Chair is a physicist, astronomer and former Chief Scientist for Australia, currently an Adjunct Professor at the ANU and a private strategic adviser. Dr Sackett took her PhD in theoretical physics from the University of Pittsburgh, and has held positions at Amherst College (USA), the Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton, USA), and the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute (NL). Dr Sackett has served on Australian, Dutch, European, and US science and advisory panels. Much of her research career has centred on applying physics to questions in astronomy.
• Professor Will Steffen, ACT Climate Change Council member is a Councillor on the publicly-funded Climate Council of Australia that delivers independent expert information about climate change and is a global change researcher at the Australian National University (ANU), Canberra. He is the sustainability theme leader of Canberra Urban and Regional Futures (CURF). Previously Professor Steffen served as the Science Adviser to the Australian Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency.
• Dr Frank Jotzo, ACT Climate Change Council member is an Associate Professor and Public Policy Fellow at ANU, and Director of the Centre for Climate Economics and Policy at the Crawford School of Public Policy. He was an adviser to the Garnaut Climate Change Review, adviser to Indonesia’s Ministry of Finance, consultant to the World Bank and is a Lead Author of Chapter 3 and the Technical Summary of the Fifth Assessment Report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
• Ms Dorte Ekelund, ACT Climate Change Council member is Director-General, Environment and Planning Directorate, ACT Government. Dorte is experienced in urban development coordination, infrastructure planning, statutory planning, planning system reform and governance reform. She has a strong interest in climate change adaptation and mitigation, water quality planning, environmental management, living and housing affordability, and the integration of transport and other infrastructure investment with strategic land use planning.
• Mr Toby Roxburgh, ACT Climate Change Council member is the chair of the Canberra branch of the Australian Institute of Energy and the District energy sector leader for Australia and New Zealand at AECOM. Toby is a Principal Electrical Engineer with over 11 years of experience in sustainable energy projects. He has worked across the energy delivery spectrum: from education and energy policy through to cost benefit analysis, feasibility, design, construction, commissioning and operation.