Professor Garnaut has had longstanding and successful roles as policy advisor, diplomat and businessman. He was the principal economic adviser to Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke 1983-1985, and Australian Ambassador to China 1985-1988.

He is the author of a number of influential reports to the Australian Government, including- Australia and the Northeast Asian Ascendancy, The Garnaut Climate Change Review 2008, and The Garnaut Review 2011: Australia and the Global Response to Climate Change.

Professor Garnaut has chaired the boards of major Australian and International companies since 1988. Professor Garnaut was made Office of the Order of Australia (AO) in 1991 for education and international relations and a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in 2007 for climate change and energy. He is Distinguished Fellow of the Australian Economics Society, Distinguished Life Member of the Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, Fellow of the Australian Academy of Social Sciences and the Honorary Professor of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

He is the author of many books, including the bestselling Dog Days (2013). His new book, Superpower, builds on his advice to Labor governments in 2008 and 2011 to set out a vision for a low-carbon future.