Australia and climate change

Climate Change Reivew

The Australian Government has commissioned Professor Ross Garnaut, from the Australian National University, to undertake a Climate Change Review. The Review will examine the impacts of climate change on the Australian economy, and recommend medium to long-term policies and policy frameworks to improve the prospects for sustainable prosperity.

The Review's final report is due on 30 September 2008. A draft report has been released and is available on the Garnaut Climate Change Review website

Climate change and agriculture

Although the recent drought has led to a much more intensive debate on climate change, there have been significant policy and research work on the subject in Australia for almost 20 years. The policy focus on climate change was also sharpened by the 2006 Creating Our Future report of the Agriculture and Food Policy Reference Group. More broadly, work on climate change policy and coordination of state and federal responses is coordinated through the Council of Australian Governments.

Australia has had a formal "Climate Change Science Programme" since 1989, and current activities continue under priorities laid out in the current $31 million phase of the 2004-08 Strategic Research Agenda. The Australia Greenhouse Office (now part of the Department of Environment and Water Resources), has funded the program since its establishment, with CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology Research Centre co-investing. Most of the international linkages on climate change are fostered through the Australian Academy of Science. The main focus has been on understanding global and regional climate change processes to underpin response mechanisms and policy development. There is also an emphasis on issues that are unlikely to be addressed in northern hemisphere research. Research includes:

• understanding of ocean circulation and atmospheric processes that influence climate;
• understanding the response and contribution of the Australian biosphere to climate change;
• developing computer models to project future climate change and climate change impacts; and
• improving climate assessment for different parts of Australia.

The Australian Business Leaders Forum on Climate Change was held on 28 March 2007. Amongst other things it looked at domestic action on climate change, ratifying a new global treaty, the implementation of an emissions trading scheme, and Australia's international role in climate change action.

ABARE recently released a report on the issues and challenges for Australian agriculture and forestry from climate change. It looks at the potential impacts of climate change and climate change mitigation and adaptation responses on the agriculture and forestry industries. It also explores the role of agriculture and forestry in emissions trading schemes.

The National Resource Management Ministerial Council, together with the Council of Australian Governments, has developed a National Agriculture and Climate Change Action Plan 2006-09. Published by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, it is a coordinated framework for climate change policy in agriculture.

The Managing Climate Variability program was set up in 1992. It brings together Australian Government departments and agricultural research organisations, with a focus on helping Australian farmers to manage climate risk on-the-ground, providing them with practical tools to incorporate weather and climate information into farm business decisions.

Broader Australian aid policy

The April 2006 Aid White Paper proposed an increase in environment-related assistance and the development of a “portfolio of activities that directly target environment challenges, including those of global concern”. In the April 2007 AusAID Framework Paper on the Aid Program’s Environment Strategy, Aid and the Environment: Building resilience, sustaining growth, it is proposed that the Australian aid program will focus on three themes: climate change adaptation and mitigation; water and environmental governance (regulatory regimes). It is likely that the climate change theme will have three focal areas, and ACIAR’s projects will contribute to these through research for development:

• supporting climate change monitoring and prediction, adaptation planning and adaptation measures;
• reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency and alternative energy initiatives;
• reduction of greenhouse gas concentrations through reforestation and avoided deforestation.