Science FAQs

Question 23:

What is Australia doing to address climate change impacts?

Dealing with the climate change challenge is one of the highest priorities of the Australian Government. The Government committed Australia to playing its part by ratifying the Kyoto Protocol in the Bali climate change negotiations in late 2007. Australia was instrumental in securing agreement on the Bali roadmap, which provides a pathway for the international community to agree on post 2012 action on climate change.

The Government is moving quickly and decisively to implement a comprehensive framework for tackling climate change. The key policy in this area will be the introduction of an emissions trading scheme, to commence in 2010.

In addition the Government supports continuing measures that encourage low emissions technology, energy efficiency, renewable energy, as well as research into climate change science and climate impacts and adaptation. The major climate change research effort is undertaken through the Australian Climate Change Science Programme. The programme is a collaboration between the Department of Climate Change, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). The research programme covers many aspects of the climate system and climate change including:

• Understanding the role of oceans in global and regional climate, the potential impacts of warming on the Southern Ocean thermohaline circulation and the capacity of the ocean to absorb carbon dioxide;
• Detection and attribution—determining the causes of recent climate shifts in Australia;
• Understanding the impacts of airborne particles and clouds on climate;
• Developing and improving global and regional climate models to provide more certainty in climate projections for Australia;
• Contributing our science to international climate change science forums, especially in the preparation of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment reports; and
• Investigating the impacts of climate change and its potential impacts on the frequency and intensity of extreme climate events.

In April 2007 the Council of Australian Governments endorsed a National Adaptation Framework as the basis for jurisdictional actions on adaptation over the next five to seven years. The framework includes possible actions to assist the most vulnerable sectors and regions, such as agriculture, biodiversity, fisheries, forestry, settlements and infrastructure, coastal, water resources, tourism and health to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

The Australian Government has committed $126 million over five years to address climate change adaptation, including the establishment of a National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility. The work will assist particularly affected sectors and regions, planning bodies, farmers, businesses and local government to understand better the impacts of climate change and to develop responses. The Australian Government also announced funding of $44 million for a new CSIRO Adaptation Flagship which will provide more accurate information on localised climate changes.

For details of other Australian activities and actions refer to the Department of Climate Change website at www.climatechange.gov.au