To improve success in adapting to climate change, we need to understand what works and what doesn’t.
Commencing at the beginning of 2023, this project is a three-year investment to develop guiding principles and frameworks to help governments, civil society and communities undertake best practices in adaptation. It supports the NESP Climate Adaptation Initiative to answer important questions about how Australia is adapting to climate change.
In a changing climate, adaptation is crucial for the well-being and prosperity of all Australians. Supported by solid decision-making frameworks, successful adaptation is built from the best available science and evidence.
Governments and organisations are increasingly considering future climate risks as part of the adaptation planning and implementation processes. To guide best practice and form a national picture of what works well, there is much to learn from plans and action already in progress.This project has explored ‘enablers’ of adaptation to understand how adaptation practitioners can help overcome barriers they face. It has also developed guiding principles on what best practice adaptation looks like.
Australian Adaptation Database
In 2025, we released the Australian Adaptation Database, Australia’s first national climate change adaptation stocktake. The Australian Adaptation Database is helping to understand Australia’s progress toward climate change adaptation, collecting and categorising a sample of adaptation activities happening across different scales, sectors and geographic locations. For more information about this, visit the database website >
The database captures adaptation actions across:
- Multiple scales, from local and community‑based initiatives to state, territory and national programs
- A wide range of sectors, including infrastructure, health, environment, emergency management, agriculture, water, energy and urban planning
- Diverse geographic locations, spanning metropolitan, regional, rural and remote areas across all Australian states and territories
Each entry in the database is carefully reviewed and coded using a consistent methodology. This enables comparison across regions and sectors, and supports long‑term analysis of how adaptation activity is evolving. The database is updated on an ongoing basis, reflecting the dynamic nature of climate change adaptation in Australia.
Find out the latest in our State of Climate Change Adaptation in Australia score card >
Want to know more?
Please contact: Sarah Boulter, Climate Adaptation Initiative Lead
