A panel of experts who attended the talks discussed how the eventual outcome was achieved and its implications for Australia and the world at a public forum held at ANU on Wednesday 16 December. This event was co-hosted by the ANU Climate Change Institute and the EU Delegation to Australia and attended by nearly 500 people.  Download podcast.  Opening Address H.E Sem Fabrizi, Ambassador, Delegation of the European Union to Australia - "The result was achieved via a combination of ambition, committment and solidarity" Opening Comments Cédric Prieto, Deputy Head of Mission of the French Embassy The panel: Adjunct Professor Howard Bamsey, ANU Regulatory Institutions Network, formerly Australia’s Special Envoy on Climate Change - "The Paris Agreement has completely changed the paradigm for dealing with climate change." Dougal McInnes, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade - "The outcome was the result of four main factors:  The French, the US, alignment of the stars and public pressure / scrutiny" Associate Professor Frank Jotzo, Director, Centre for Climate Economics & Policy, ANU Crawford School - "The COP21 result was not a surprise, but a relief.   It is significant success in terms of the level of ambition and universal participation. We are not on track for the long-term ambition in terms of current commitments, but it sets a guiding light or benchmark." Luke Kemp, lecturer and finishing PhD student at ANU with a focus on climate negotiations - "The Paris Agreement codifies existing efforts.  It will reinforce change by locking in the review process and sending a strong signal to the world." Alex Gosman, CEO, Australian Industry Greenhouse Network - "The Paris Agreement gives Australia scope to move away from partisanship on climate change." Summary Perspectives Professor Brian Schmidt, Nobel prize winner and spokesperson for the Mainau Declaration on Climate Change - "Climate change is the defining issue of our time ......The Paris agreement has given us a framework. There's still a huge challenge ahead (in terms of implementation) that will define whether Paris will be seen as a success or failure." Closing Remarks H.E Sem Fabrizi, Ambassador, Delegation of the European Union to Australia Download podcast.