$4.2m in grants for climate change adaptation

Federal grants worth $4.2m have been announced for priority research for assisting Australian communities prepare for climate change.

The research projects funded under the Climate Change Adaptation Research Grants program will explore adaptation measures to prepare and protect settlements and infrastructure, primary industries and terrestrial biodiversity from the unavoidable impacts of climate change.

“Climate change will have a range of impacts on our urban and rural communities including rising temperatures, changes to rainfall, evaporation and an increasing rate of extreme weather events,” Greg Combet, Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency said.

The funding will go to 17 research projects examining climate change impacts and exploring practical adaptation options to support communities across Australia.

The University of Adelaide, for example, will evaluate the impact of heat waves on households and infrastructure and develop an integrated national response to adapt to these extreme events.

The University of Western Australia will assess the adaptive capacity of broad acre farms and identify successful adaptation strategies already undertaken by farmers.

Charles Darwin University will identify actions to preserve Australia’s diverse bird species over the next 50 years.

“These diverse and extensive research projects, from some of Australia’s premier research organisations, will give governments and other stakeholders vital information needed to support urban and rural settlements, the primary industry sector and our terrestrial environment,” Combet said.

This round of 17 research projects reflects some of the highest priority areas of research into adaptation in Australia. The research will be managed by the government's National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF) which leads the research community in setting Australia’s adaptation research priorities.

Settlements and infrastructure, primary industries and terrestrial biodiversity are three of the nine priority research themes under the government’s National Adaptation Research. Others include emergency management, water resources and freshwater biodiversity, marine biodiversity and resources, human health, Indigenous and social, economic and institutional dimensions.

For more information on the research projects, visit the NCCARF website.

A summary of projects for investment under the Settlements and Infrastructure; Primary Industries; and Terrestrial Biodiversity Research Calls includes:

• A Framework for Adaptation of Australian Households to Heat Waves - University of South Australia.
• Climate Change and the National Electricity Market: institutional adaptability and infrastructure reliability - University of Technology, Sydney.
• Vulnerability of the power generation and supply network infrastructure under climate change scenarios - UniQuest.
• Robust optimisation of urban drought security for an uncertain climate - University of Newcastle.
• Climate Change and the Welfare Sector - Risk and Adaptation of Australia’s Vulnerable and Marginalised - Australian Council of Social Services.
• Australia’s Country Towns 2050: What will a Climate Adapted Settlement Pattern Look Like? - Flinders University.
• Adaptive capacity and adaptive strategies of broadacre farms experiencing climate change - University of Western Australia.
• Limp, leap or learn? Developing a legal framework for adaptation planning in Australia - Griffith University.
• Strata Title in a world of climate change: Managing greater uncertainty in forecasting and funding common property capital expenditure - Griffith University.
• Will Primary Producers Continue to Adjust Practices and Technologies, Change Production Systems or Transform Their Industry - An Application of Real Options - University of Sydney.
• Determining high risk vegetation communities and plants species in relation to climate change in the Australian alpine region - Griffith University.
• Adaptation strategies for Australian birds - Charles Darwin University.
• The architecture of resilient landscapes: scenario modelling to reveal best-practice design principles for climate adaptation - CSIRO.
• Developing management strategies to mitigate increased co-extinction rates of plant dwelling insects through global climate change - University of Melbourne.
• Determining future invasive plant threats under climate change: an interactive decision tool for managers - Macquarie University.
• Optimal habitat protection and restoration for climate adaptation - University of Queensland.
• Climate-resilient vegetation of multi-use landscapes: exploiting genetic variability in widespread species - Department of Environment and Conservation, Western Australia.