Australia
December 4, 2007
Early action to adapt to climate
change impacts could have substantial short-term benefits for
some Australian agricultural systems but joint research between
farmers, scientists and policymakers is needed to adapt to the
larger-scale changes expected.
A paper published today in the international science journal
Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences of the USA (PNAS) identifies several
practical steps to adapt Australia’s agricultural sector to
climate change.
“Given that our climate has already changed and that further
change seems inevitable, it is important to take a pro-active
stance to assess adaptation options, their benefits and costs,
and how to alter policy and investment environments to
facilitate their uptake,” says lead author Dr Mark Howden of
CSIRO.
Climate adaptation analyses can reward early adopters of climate
information, build the capacity for effective climate risk
management, inform infrastructure investment decisions and help
inform international discussions on reducing greenhouse gas
emissions such as those happening in Bali this week.
“Given that our climate has already changed and that further
change seems inevitable, it is important to take a pro-active
stance to assess adaptation options, their benefits and costs,
and how to alter policy and investment environments to
facilitate their uptake,” says lead author Dr Mark Howden of
CSIRO.”“Practical adaptations such as changing timing of
plantings or the varieties or species of crops grown might avoid
the damage caused by 1 to 2 degree changes in temperature –
those expected over the next few decades,” he says.
“However, their effectiveness declines with higher temperature
increases. Consequently, the damages from climate change will
increase unless a whole new array of adaptations are developed
and used. These adaptations may need to include diversification
of production systems and livelihoodsand would need supporting
policies and programs in addition to soundly based research and
development.”
Dr Howden and his co-authors identify six key elements needed
for putting in place effective adaptation responses:
- conviction that climate
changes are real and likely to continue
- confidence that these
changes will significantly impact on their enterprise
- technical and other
options to respond to the changes
- support to make the
transitions to new conditions
- new infrastructure,
policies and institutions to support the new management and
land use arrangements
- targeted monitoring of
adaptations to learn what works, what does not and why.
Dr Howden says that getting
increased adaptation action will need integration of climate
change-related issues with other risk factors such as climate
variability and market risk and with other policy domains such
as sustainable development. It will also need adaptation
assessment frameworks that are relevant, robust and easily
operated by farmers, policymakers and scientists.
Dr Howden is a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change which was recently awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, shared
with Al Gore. Dr Howden says that large scale problems such as
climate change have to be addressed by both individual and
collective action.
The Climate Adaptation Flagship led by CSIRO will work with
agricultural industries and natural resource managers to find
effective solutions to the challenges of managing Australia’s
variable and changing climate. |
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