NESP Climate Systems Hub leader Dr Simon Marsland reviews the achievements of 2023.
The NESP Climate Systems Hub brings together more than 150 researchers from Australia’s leading science research groups to better understand our changing climate and its impacts.
Looking back at our achievements is important to gauge the impact the hub’s work is having, particularly in getting the research to those working to address the impacts of climate change. And 2023 was the hub’s most impactful year to date.
Our knowledge broker team expanded to include 5 states as part of the Cross-Jurisdictional Community of Practice for Climate Science.
2023 saw the introduction of climate literacy training for our research users.
We released the secondClimate Adaptation for Australia’s biodiversity calendar.More than 400 participants joined us for Climate Adaptation 2023 in Adelaide. We partnered with Indigenous communities in the Malgana (Shark Bay) and K’gari (Fraser Island) World Heritage Areas.
Across our 11 projects we produced:
- 17,000 people visited our website
- 1,100+ registered for our newsletter
- 1000+ registered for hub webinars
- 440 attended Climate Adaptation 2023
- 100+ people attended hub trainings
Improving climate-related hazard information
Climate change is shifting Australia’s extremes. Our projects delivered a range of products to help us understand these shifts and translate climate projections to local, on-the-ground impacts. The hub has been working to ensure that this hazard information is fit for purpose through co-design.
We have worked to understand trends in frequency of Tropical Cyclones in the future, plus using Australia’s ACCESS model in collaboration with the UK Met Office to evaluate global climate models used to predict tropical cyclone intensity, track and rainfall forecasts. Looking at fire risk, hub researchers co-developed the Dry Windy Index (DWI), with current and former fire researchers. We have also made contributions to Australia’s Rainfall and Runoff Guidelines to update the chapter on climate change considerations while our online sea-level rise tool Canute has been updated.
Bringing together Climate Adaptation 2023
Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy Senator McAllister
More than 400 adaptation practitioners, decision makers and researchers came together in Adelaide to share their knowledge and experience at Climate Adaptation 2023. This was an opportunity to network and strengthen the growing community of adaptation practice and research. The conference and its program featured a wide variety of presentations, panels and discussions on climate vulnerability, impacts and adaptation.
The hub continues to support Indigenous voices
Across the country the hub worked with Traditional Owners to empower them as they adapt to our changing climate. Workshops were run on Gathaaguda Country (Shark Bay World Heritage Area) as hub scientists worked with Malgana Traditional Owners to develop strategies to adapt to climate change and protect their Country. The Butchulla people, Traditional Owners of K’gari partnered with the hub to develop an adaptation plan in partnership with the Queensland Government. The hub also continued its work developing seasonal calendars across Australia.