Australia’s first stocktake of climate adaptation activities has been launched by the hub at the Climate Adaptation 2023.
The stocktake is being undertaken by the Climate Systems Hub’s research project Enabling best practice adaptation to gauge Australia’s progress on adapting to climate change.
Project lead Associate Professor Sarah Boulter emphasised the importance of this survey as currently there is no baseline on how Australia is adapting to our changing climate, although presentations and participation at Climate Adaptation 2023 indicated a shift from research to practice.
“This will be the first time anyone has tried to take stock,” Associate Professor Boulter said.
“We want to understand where and how adaptation is happening, how much is still in the planning phase and what is being implemented on the ground.”
“Certainly at a global level, investment in the Green Climate Fund and commitments flowing from the Paris Agreement have meant strong global growth in adaptation projects. The focus has been on investment in developing countries, but is that reflected in developed countries like Australia?”
The Australian stocktake of climate adaptation coincides with the Global Stocktake being undertaken by the United Nations to assess progress towards meeting the goals of the Paris Climate Change Agreement.
The findings of the technical assessment of the Global Stocktake will be presented at COP28 later in the year and promises to show how global adaptation is progressing.
“We are putting a spotlight on the Australian situation. We hope this Australian stocktake will prompt more action on adaptation and allow us to understand what’s already worked and can inform good adaptation practice.”
Tell us more about your climate adaptation activities via the stocktake survey.