Nobel Laureate Professor Peter Doherty has warned doing nothing on climate change is a dangerous experiment that Australia can not afford to be part of.

Professor Doherty, who will present the keynote speech tonight at the University of Melbourne Festival of Ideas, says doing nothing could have catastrophic effects.

“Regardless of what people think about climate change there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that it’s a totally unacceptable experiment to take 6.8 billion human beings living in a thin, fragile layer of atmosphere, then continually ramp up levels of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide,” he says.

“People say this has happened before, however when the climate last changed dramatically, there were only five million people on earth, this changes the situation for us dramatically today.”

Professor Doherty, an influenza and immunity specialist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1996, says there always has and will be sceptics and deniers when it comes to research.

“This is an enormously complex area and it’s difficult for people outside the area to understand the science, particularly when we have sceptics denying climate change, but we have always had deniers. We had people who denied the damaging effects of cigarettes and people who deny that human immunodeficiency, or HIV, causes AIDS.

“To do nothing now is an unacceptable experiment. There will be economic, ecological and cultural effects of change, but we can’t afford to stick our heads in the sand on this. It is far too dangerous.”

The Festival of Ideas brings together more than 50 outstanding thinkers from around the world, who will discuss and debate the issue of climate change/cultural change.

The festival will look at the science of climate change, but will also consider the impact of climate change on the community – societal, political, economical, medical, geographic and creative.
Professor Doherty will speak at 7pm tonight, Monday 15 June, in the Carrillo Gantner Theatre, Sidney Myer Asia Centre, University of Melbourne.