2021 Global Climate Change Week

Header image artwork by artist, Indigenous Research Assistant in the School of Medicine and UOW Masters student Josie Atkinson titled "Heal Country, Heal Climate". The design represents the diverse waterways and land of healthy 'Country' and the ancestral songlines of the First Nations Peoples of Australia. (This image is not allowed to be downloaded for any other use, personal or commercial.)

Held annually in October, Global Climate Change Week provides an open-ended framework for voluntary activities aimed at raising awareness, inspiring behaviour change, and driving political transformation in relation to climate policy.

The first GCCW was held in October 2015. In 2014, a group of academics and students at the University of Wollongong (UOW) developed a committee and organised a workshop held on December 4-5 2014 at the University of Wollongong. Twenty-two people participated, including academics from seven Australian universities and a number of activists. The workshop was a great success; many new ideas emerged, the vision and mission statements were drafted, and some of the committees running GCCW today were established, including the original coordinating committee. 

The University of Tasmania is currently proudly coordinating GCCW across the sector and has created resources and a website to facilitate activities across the globe.

Global Climate Change Week 2021: Climate, Health, Action!

In 2021, GCCW ran from 18th October - 24th October. If you missed the series of the 2021 online seminars you can watch the recordings at the links below.

Our theme in 2021 was Climate, Health, Action! The online seminars focussed on the impact of our changing climate on human and environmental health. We explored sustainable solutions, from eating healthily and sustainably to greening our health systems. Hosted entirely online, GCCW was filled with aspirations and inspiring stories, knowledge sharing and ideas, and discussions on actions to protect our health and our planet.

It’s easy to take action!

1. You can continue the conversation online using the hashtag #UOWGCCW to share your thoughts and ideas with our online community
2. Follow UOW Pulse on Facebook, who share great resources, events and competitions
3. Take part in family-friendly activities listed below

• Wollongong Botanic Garden: Koalas at the Cross-Roads Take an all-ages, self-guided koala walk around the Discovery Centre at the Wollongong Botanic Garden and learn about the impact of climate change on these cuddly creatures. 
  
• Nature Wellness Trail: The trail starts at the south-west corner of the Mercury Lawn. There are seven short sensory exercises. You can choose to just do one, a few or all exercises. It’s totally up to you.
• Take a dip in your local rockpool: Whether you're an ocean swimmer or not, there's plenty of history and wildlife in our local rockpools scattered along the South Coast. Just be sure not to touch or take from our beautiful oceans - Story by Paul Jones
  
• Aussie Backyard Bird Count | BirdLife: Aussie Backyard Bird Count is a citizen science project. Take 20 minutes to go outside, identify and record the birds you see using the app
  
• Sustainable House Day SBRC - Sunday 17 October
  
• Make a vegan recipe like Red Lentil Dahl
• UOW and National Parks Association of NSW Tree Planting Day

More activities will be added throughout the week as new suggestions come in. Be sure to Tweet your favourite locations to learn about nature using #UOWGCCW

Resources

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that these resources may contain images, voices and videos of deceased persons. Users are warned that there may be words and descriptions that may be culturally sensitive and which might not normally be used in certain public or community contexts. 

Podcasts 

• For the Wild podcast 
• Aboriginal Women and Caring for Country in NSW, Australia  - with Vanessa Cavanagh
• Sustaining sustainability Climate Change and Public Health - with Seema Wadhwa 
• Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future (SAEF) - with Sharon Robinson and Melinda Waterman
• Climate change, disaster and mental health - with Lorna Moxham, Anthony McKnight, Samantha Avitaia, Joshua Whittaker and Sharon Robinson

Videos

• Science Behind Climate Change - with Tim Davies
• Green Connect Tour
• Bega Valley Circular Economy Initiative: Accelerator Program Online Pitch Final
• Sustainability at UOW 
• SBRC Sustainable Homes Challenge 
• University of Wollongong - Gardening Australia Segment 
• Bundanon We Need To Talk About Fire - Vanessa Cavanagh
• Yorta Yorta Country: Caring For Our Continuity Of Our Existence, NIFW 2019 Dhungala - Vanessa Cavanagh
• Tackling the Climate Crisis: The Worlds To Do List Global Goals  
• Shaping Zero: towards net zero carbon for infrastructure   
• Voices of the River documentary web series
• Heal Country, Heal Climate (Download)

Websites and articles

• Sustainable living - Wollongong City Council
• Climate Change  - Wollongong City Council
• Seed Indigenous Youth Climate Network
• About SDG 13: Climate Action - United Nations
• Clean Water Charity Ending the Global Water Crisis - Water For People 
• How to choose milk for yourself and for the environment - The Stand
• A healthy diet for a healthy planet - The Stand
• Wollongong City Council sustainability newsletter
• What does the latest IPCC report mean for Australia?

Reports and publications

• Intergovernmental Panel Climate Change (IPCC) 2021 Report
• Special Report: Update to the economic costs of natural disasters in Australia, Australian Business Roundtable for Disaster Resilience & Safer Communities (2021)
• A Rapid Review of the Environmental Impacts Associated with Food Consumption in Australia and New Zealand (2021)
• Healthy and Environmentally Sustainable Diets Briefing Paper, Dieticians Australia (2020)
• To sustain human life on earth for generations to come, we must change the way we interact with food - Monash University
• Report: Leadership in Ecohealth by First National People; Information about the Graduate Certificate in Indigenous Research & Leadership; Website: Better Futures Australia
• Leadership in Ecohealth by First Nations people 
• Josie Atkinson Indigenous Research and Leadership - University of Melbourne
• Carbon Storage at the UOW Main Campus - Factsheet
• Operation Nappy - Factsheet
• COP26 – The Australian Government's preparation to date

Webinars and Presentations

• Sustainability Impacts in our region - PowerPoint slides