Key Facts:
- The Australian Museum will host the sixth annual Talbot Oration on 4 June 2026, on the eve of World Environment Day, with US ocean and exploration advocate Terry Garcia delivering the keynote address.
- Garcia, former Deputy Administrator of NOAA and ex-Chief Science and Exploration Officer of the National Geographic Society, will address the scale of the ocean crisis and emerging solutions through technology, investment, and international cooperation.
- A panel discussion moderated by AM Director and CEO Kim McKay AO will follow, featuring ocean governance specialist Jas Chambers, explorer and environmental advocate Tim Jarvis AM, and Melissa Malu, Head of Pasifika Collections and Engagement at the Australian Museum.
- The event forms part of the Australian Museum's Climate Solutions Centre (CSC), which aims to connect the public with practical climate solutions through science, research, and community engagement.
- The oration takes place at the Australian Museum, 1 William Street, Sydney, from 6:30 to 8pm, and is free for members and $20 for non-members, with registration required.
International oceans expert and explorer Terry Garcia speaks at the Australian Museum on the eve of World Environment Day
Sydney, Tuesday, 2 June 2026: The Australian Museum (AM) will host the sixth annual Talbot Oration on Thursday 4 June 2026, on the eve of World Environment Day, bringing together leading voices in ocean science, conservation and environmental policy for an evening of ideas and conversation. US ocean and exploration advocate Terry Garcia will deliver the oration.
In his first visit to Sydney, Garcia, President of Exploration Ventures and former Executive Vice President and Chief Science and Exploration Officer of the National Geographic Society and Deputy Administrator of NOAA, will share his experience at the frontier of ocean exploration and policy. In this year's Talbot Oration, Garcia maps the scale of the crisis and the emerging solutions through technology, investment and international cooperation, making a compelling case for individual action and cautious optimism.
"We are pushing the ocean to its limits while simultaneously dismantling the scientific institutions we need to understand and respond to that threat; complacency is not an option, however, neither is despair. There are solutions within reach, and the knowledge, technology and international will to pursue them. What we need now is the courage to act on what the science is telling us," Terry Garcia said.
Prior to joining National Geographic, Garcia served as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere at the US Department of Commerce, and as Deputy Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In 2010, he was appointed by President Obama to the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, leading the investigation into the disaster's root causes and developing recommendations to prevent future incidents.
The keynote address will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by AM Director and CEO Kim McKay AO, featuring:
- Jasmine (Jas) Chambers, Chair and Co-founder of Ocean Decade Australia and President of Science & Technology Australia, whose career spans international science diplomacy, ocean governance and research partnerships across the Pacific;
- Tim Jarvis AM, explorer, environmental communicator and South Australia's Australian of the Year 2024, known for his expeditions to Antarctica and long-standing advocacy for its protection; and
- Melissa Malu, Head of Pasifika Collections and Engagement at the Australian Museum, Malu brings her Tongan and Fijian heritage to her transformative work in cultural preservation and community development focusing on the impacts of Climate Change across the Pacific.
The panel will explore the intersections of ocean exploration, traditional ecological knowledge, conservation and the policy frameworks needed to safeguard future ocean protection.
For six years, the Talbot Oration has brought the world's finest scientific and environmental minds to Sydney to speak honestly about the challenges facing our planet. Terry Garcia has spent his life at the intersection of science, policy and exploration, and his insights could not be timelier.
As the cornerstone event of the AM's Climate Solutions Centre (CSC), the Talbot Oration brings together the public to hear from leaders in environmental sector, reflecting the AM's role as a leading scientific institution and forum for important conversations about the impacts of climate change.
"Establishing the Climate Solution Centre at the Australian Museum has been an initiative that brings climate issues to the fore. Working with curator Dr Jenny Newell, we're creating a place where scientists, researchers, advocates and communicators connect the Australian public with real and practical solutions. The work is becoming more serious, and I'm excited that the next chapter of the CSC will provide a forum for more public engagement.
"Over the next five years, the CSC will highlight research in social science, biogeography and collections-based science projects expanding into new initiatives that communicate climate science in ways that will truly connect the AM's audiences. In the face of so much environmental change, despair can feel like the natural response, but the science tells a different story. The tools to repair, regenerate and build resilience already exist," Kim McKay said.
Event details:
Thursday, 4 June; 6:30 to 8pm.
Australian Museum 1 William Street, Sydney, 2000
Free for members and $20 for non-members;
registration required via australian.museum/event/talbot-oration-2026
