In 2015 Steve Posselt travelled from Canberra with his trusty kayak to arrive in Paris before the COP21 international climate talks.
The journey, named Connecting Climate Chaos, aimed to link extreme weather events outside previously known parameters with current climate science. These extraordinary events included Canberra’s fire storm, Sydney’s unseasonably early bush fires, Hurricane Katrina, Superstorm Sandy, the melting of the Arctic, the UK’s floods and the French drought.
Steve's slow journey gave him the opportunity to invest time in these affected communities, working with locals to foster grassroots activism.
Come along to hear about the trip from Steve, while he shares his experiences, photos and stories.
It is a story of adaptation, agility, intelligence, experience and pure persistence to achieve the goal of getting there. Humour, especially recounting encounters with local police, break the relentless grind of reaching Paris.
You think you know about rivers? Find out about the Mississippi, the most engineered river in the world, from the only person known to have paddled up it in a flood.
Steve also shares heartfelt moments such as his first view of the Eiffel Tower as he paddled up the Seine and paddling past the Statue of Liberty.
And then, putting it all together; what was the trip about and what does it mean?
Speaker: Steve Posselt - Fellow of Engineers Australia, author, adventurer, ecowarrior, grandfather and raconteur has over forty years’ experience in the water industry.
"Steve is the ultimate Aussie storyteller. Great stories of perseverance and triumph, with plenty of charm and even more laughs. Inspirational to boot." Dominic Jarvis - Griffith University EcoCentre
Download the flyer for more information.
Steve's presentation from the night with many amazing photos has been made available. {buit I'm sorry I haven't figured out how to attach it to this web page}