Professor Don Henry
Don Henry joined Melbourne University in May 2014 and is based in the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute as the Melbourne Enterprise Professor of Environmentalism.
Professor Henry's role is to stimulate and enhance public debate and policy by working with researchers, government, civil society, global institutions, and business. He provides leadership and vision in the fields of environmental policy development and reform, climate change, and sustainability.
Don is an International Board Member of The Climate Reality Project and is the strategy adviser to its Chair, the Hon. Al Gore, former Vice President of the United States.
Don's current research engagement program is to support the Paris Agreement on climate change, negotiated by the global community in December 2015. Don's work aims to encourage greater ambition in its goals and to build support for a strong ratchet mechanism, including five-yearly reviews of national commitments. Don and his team are highlighting the role of key strategic countries in the implementation of the Agreement, such as India, the Philippines, China, Australia and Brazil.
Don is also leading work examining and encouraging Indigenous and conservation outcomes in Northern Australia and collaborative processes for forest protection and sustainable use in Victoria and Tasmania.
By holding a "seat at the table" in key discussions on the environment, Don Henry provides an unparalleled opportunity for MSSI, the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, and the wider University, to influence national and global decision-making.