What happens to the climate of our planet? How fast do the changes occur and what do they mean for the future of Earth? And why is Siberia one of those places where the effects of climate change are especially visible?

Dave Lowe – a prominent New Zealand climatologist, a researcher specialising in atmospheric chemistry and one of the authors of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, whose authors were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 – will discuss these questions at this one-of-a-kind event in Białystok.

Dave Lowe has been observing changes in the atmosphere for over five decades. In 1972, he helped establish the Baring Head monitoring station in New Zealand, which began continuous measurements of carbon dioxide concentrations in the Southern Hemisphere. He was one of the lead authors of the 2007 IPCC report, and today, as a retired professor at the University of Victoria in Wellington, he is also involved in raising public awareness of climate issues.

During the meeting, we will examine climate change from the perspective of science, as well as through the experiences of specific places and people. Particular attention will be paid to Siberia – a region where warming, the thawing of permafrost and changes to the natural environment are having consequences that extend far beyond its borders.

Can we turn back the most dangerous effects of climate change? What can be done before it is too late? And is there still room for optimism despite the scale of the challenge?

September 10

12:00 p.m.

The Sybir Memorial Museum

Free admission

The meeting will be translated into Polish.

Join us for a talk with a scientist who has been observing our changing planet for years and argues that being aware of the threats need not mean giving up hope – provided that knowledge is followed by action.