Prof Kevin Parton
About
Kevin Parton is an emeritus professor at Charles Sturt University. Since 1979, when he was commissioned to assess the value of improving seasonal weather information for Australian agriculture, much of his research has been related to the economics of climate and weather. Prior to the year 2000, his focus was on agriculture and assisting farmers in Australia and overseas to use forecast information to combat climate variability that impacts growing conditions. During the current millennium, his work has become more focused on climate change issues across society, but particularly related to health.
As well as research, Kevin Parton has experience in teaching, mentoring, research management and research training, including at universities, Australian and Canadian Government agencies and international research organisations. He has completed projects in the EU, Australia, Canada, Ethiopia, Kenya, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Thailand, Nepal, Indonesia, the Philippines and Papua New Guinea.
His work over the last decade has focused on climate-change policy and renewable-energy systems. He is currently examining how attitudes to and beliefs in climate change are formed, and how they are changing over time. Church leaders, such as Pope Francis, have been shown to influence such beliefs and attitudes. In addition, Professor Parton’s work in Nepal has investigated the market and related policy for renewable technologies such as micro-hydro electricity and biogas stoves for households. In the Philippines he has been examining the means of improving the transmission of weather and climate information to farmers. In Australia, he is particularly interested in the impact of renewable energy on remote Indigenous communities.