Australia will face significant human and economic costs because its infrastructure is poorly equipped to handle more frequent extreme weather events and other consequences of climate change.
A new report by The Climate Institute, Coming Ready or Not: Managing climate risks to Australia’s infrastructure, gathers research on the physical impacts and consequences of climate change on major infrastructure across the property, electricity, road and rail and finance sectors. It examines the preparedness of businesses and governments to manage these risks and the steps needed to improve Australia’s climate readiness.
This presentation summarises the results from world’s first global climate investment index showing how the world’s biggest investors, including superannuation funds, are managing climate risk.
For more information visit www.climateinstitute.org.au/articles/publications/aodp-global-climate-index-2012-results.html
This presentation summarises The Climate Institute’s report, Global Climate Leadership Review 2013. It provides an overview of Australian climate policy in a global context, as well as elaborating on the implications of global climate diplomacy and domestic actions for Australia. For more information, visit http://www.climateinstitute.org.au/global-climate-leadership-review-2013.html.
A new social media platform – The Vital Few - allows people to take back control of their future and make sure their pension funds are investing in ways that help tackle climate change.
This document discusses how large institutional investors, as universal owners of diversified portfolios, are exposed to significant costs from environmental damage caused by the companies in their portfolios. It estimates that the annual global costs of environmental damage equal $6.6 trillion or 11% of global GDP in 2008. The top 3,000 publicly listed companies alone cause over $2.15 trillion in environmental costs annually, representing over 50% of their combined earnings. These externalities pose financial risks to investors by reducing future company cash flows and portfolio returns over the long term.
The Global Climate Leadership Review is an annual report that evaluates countries' leadership on climate change issues. It finds that Australia ranks poorly compared to other developed countries in terms of its capacity for a low-carbon economy. While Australia's Clean Energy Future package is a step forward, the report recommends that Australia commit to stronger emissions reductions under a new Kyoto agreement and pursue trading partnerships with other countries to boost global climate ambition.
The document discusses the concept of a "Just Transition" to a low-carbon economy. It emerged in the 1970s from environmental, indigenous, and labor activists who saw the need for support strategies for workers who could lose their jobs due to environmental policies. A Just Transition aims to decarbonize the economy without costing workers jobs or harming their livelihoods. It requires a Green New Deal to create millions of green jobs, sectoral transition plans, job training and unions to bargain for workers' rights. Financing comes from a national investment bank and transition funds while nationalizing energy ensures affordable, renewable power for all.
Since 2007, The Climate Institute has conducted comprehensive quantitative and qualitative research into Australian attitudes to climate change and its solutions. We have published a number of Climate of the Nation reports and aim to publish annual mid-year reports to track evolving attitudes and actions.
More information can be found on The Climate institute's website:
www.climateinstitute.org.au/climate-of-the-nation-2012.html
160416 Should the prevention of long term climate change be put before the de...Sam Norman
The document discusses whether preventing long-term climate change should take priority over the development of LEDCs. It argues that preventing LEDC development in the short-term could help limit global temperature rise to under 2°C by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, there are significant ethical issues and challenges with implementing this strategy. International cooperation would be required but has often failed due to voluntary components and inadequate funding in climate agreements. Complete prevention of development would also be difficult and prolong living conditions in LEDCs that include high mortality rates and lower life expectancy.
This presentation summarises the results from world’s first global climate investment index showing how the world’s biggest investors, including superannuation funds, are managing climate risk.
For more information visit www.climateinstitute.org.au/articles/publications/aodp-global-climate-index-2012-results.html
This presentation summarises The Climate Institute’s report, Global Climate Leadership Review 2013. It provides an overview of Australian climate policy in a global context, as well as elaborating on the implications of global climate diplomacy and domestic actions for Australia. For more information, visit http://www.climateinstitute.org.au/global-climate-leadership-review-2013.html.
A new social media platform – The Vital Few - allows people to take back control of their future and make sure their pension funds are investing in ways that help tackle climate change.
This document discusses how large institutional investors, as universal owners of diversified portfolios, are exposed to significant costs from environmental damage caused by the companies in their portfolios. It estimates that the annual global costs of environmental damage equal $6.6 trillion or 11% of global GDP in 2008. The top 3,000 publicly listed companies alone cause over $2.15 trillion in environmental costs annually, representing over 50% of their combined earnings. These externalities pose financial risks to investors by reducing future company cash flows and portfolio returns over the long term.
The Global Climate Leadership Review is an annual report that evaluates countries' leadership on climate change issues. It finds that Australia ranks poorly compared to other developed countries in terms of its capacity for a low-carbon economy. While Australia's Clean Energy Future package is a step forward, the report recommends that Australia commit to stronger emissions reductions under a new Kyoto agreement and pursue trading partnerships with other countries to boost global climate ambition.
The document discusses the concept of a "Just Transition" to a low-carbon economy. It emerged in the 1970s from environmental, indigenous, and labor activists who saw the need for support strategies for workers who could lose their jobs due to environmental policies. A Just Transition aims to decarbonize the economy without costing workers jobs or harming their livelihoods. It requires a Green New Deal to create millions of green jobs, sectoral transition plans, job training and unions to bargain for workers' rights. Financing comes from a national investment bank and transition funds while nationalizing energy ensures affordable, renewable power for all.
Since 2007, The Climate Institute has conducted comprehensive quantitative and qualitative research into Australian attitudes to climate change and its solutions. We have published a number of Climate of the Nation reports and aim to publish annual mid-year reports to track evolving attitudes and actions.
More information can be found on The Climate institute's website:
www.climateinstitute.org.au/climate-of-the-nation-2012.html
160416 Should the prevention of long term climate change be put before the de...Sam Norman
The document discusses whether preventing long-term climate change should take priority over the development of LEDCs. It argues that preventing LEDC development in the short-term could help limit global temperature rise to under 2°C by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, there are significant ethical issues and challenges with implementing this strategy. International cooperation would be required but has often failed due to voluntary components and inadequate funding in climate agreements. Complete prevention of development would also be difficult and prolong living conditions in LEDCs that include high mortality rates and lower life expectancy.
Today, CO2 emissions from fossil fuels are around 50 per cent higher than they were 20 years ago, and have been rising each year. This kind of change to the chemical mixture in the air doesn’t come without consequences. Acting like a blanket, the build-up of greenhouse gases is the main reason why the average global temperature has risen by nearly 1°C in the last century. This booklet explains why a rise of only a few degrees in the average global temperature risks our prosperity, security, and health. It explains why it is so important to reverse the rise in emissions within the decade. And why it is still within our means to do so. For more information visit www.climateinstitute.org.au/dangerous-degrees.html
This document summarizes the contributions and support provided for a research project on the implications of climate change scenarios for strategic asset allocation. It thanks the participating organizations and individuals that supported the project. It also includes quotes from several partners on why their organizations participated in the research and its importance. The quotes emphasize that climate change poses significant financial and economic risks for long-term investors and understanding its impacts on investments is crucial for fulfilling fiduciary duties. The research aims to help shape strategic thinking and better integrate climate change into investment programs, policies and risk management.
Climate Action: the need for a systemic approachESD UNU-IAS
Keynote Lecture #2 - 2021 ProSPER.Net Leadership Programme
"Climate Action: the need for a systemic approach", presented by Prof. Lauren Rickards (ECP Director, Urban Futures, RMIT University) at the 2021 ProSPER.Net Leadership Programme, 15 September, 2021.
Divest Invest is a movement that encourages institutions and individuals to sell investments in fossil fuel companies and instead invest in renewable energy and other climate solutions. Over 436 institutions representing over $2.36 trillion have already committed to Divest Invest. Supporters argue that fossil fuel investments are increasingly risky financially due to factors like regulation and innovation in renewables, and that continued investment is also at odds with legal, ethical, and moral obligations to address climate change. While engagement can be part of a responsible investment strategy, widespread collective divestment is needed to effectively shape markets and policy towards limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius.
This presentation discusses how practitioner's of mitigation can create and design new programs to make a change in the new normal. This presentation was given at the Natural Hazard Mitigation Association's annual Symposium held every July in Broomfield, Colorado.
Ed Thomas is a President of NHMA, Floodplain Manager, Disaster Response & Recovery Specialist, and a practicing Attorney. His primary concern is the prevention of misery to disaster victims, the public purse, and to the environment. Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation through advocacy and development of locally orientated policies and procedures with a strong economic, moral and legal foundation is his chosen method of accomplishing this goal.
Watch the video presentation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zy0NI4hN0e8
Philanthropy for the Climate-Change Challenge with John P. Holdrenpackard343comm
Dr. John P. Holdren, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Co-Chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), presented to the David and Lucile Packard Foundation's Board of Trustees on the state of climate policies and action in the United States and worldwide. The Packard Foundation is deeply invested in climate change mitigation efforts and welcomed the opportunity to discuss with Dr. Holdren where philanthropic funding may have the most impact.
This presentation summarises The Climate Institute’s report, Climate Smart Super: Understanding Superannuation & Climate Risk, which examines the impact of climate and carbon risks on retirement and superannuation savings, especially in Australia. Superannuation funds are often Australians’ biggest or second biggest asset but until now very few have had accessible information enabling them to take an active role in managing that asset against climate and carbon policy risks. This report (and presentation) offers a number of simple steps to assist people to engage with their super funds so that they can move from being accidental to active investors and start challenging the dangerous short term focus in business and politics that threatens retirement savings. For more information, visit www.climateinstitute.org.au/climate-smart-super.html
Australian coal reserves and resources alone could exceed global coal carbon budgets and attempts to avoid dangerous climate change. Investors in our coal resources are taking high risk gambles on global climate inaction, the deployment of carbon capture and storage technology or significantly increasing Australia’s share of global coal markets. Governments, investors and even many coal companies say they take climate change seriously, but this report shows that if they did, their Australian investments could be a costly speculative bubble.
Financial institutions play a critical role in our economy. They are the front line in managing all financial risks, including those posed by climate change. The stability of our economy and financial system as a whole will depend on how quickly and deeply financial institutions adapt to the risks faced by the Australian economy from climate change.
Carbon, the way we view it, measure it, control it and price it has come to dominate debates of all kinds. So, what's it all about?
This is the starting point of a 'Carbon 101' guide released by The Climate Institute, alongside a podcast narration by Andrew Demetriou, CEO of the Australian Football League and Dr Graeme Pearman, former head of CSIRO Atmospheric Research. This presentation summarises the book and podcast. Both are available on The Climate Institute's website: www.climateinstitute.org.au/carbon-101.html
The world is poised to take action on climate change, and designers have a huge role to play in fostering this momentum. The Designing Climate Action class prepares for a public event on September 30th, 2015 as part of New York Climate Week 2015 to seed endeavors and create coalitions of activists, designers, scientists, and entrepreneurs designing for a positive climate future.
This presentation gives a different perspective on resilience & recovery. This presentation was given at the Natural Hazard Mitigation Association's annual Symposium held every July in Broomfield, Colorado.
This presentation was given by Michael Cohen, Vice President of Renaissance RE.
The document outlines solutions for Australia to address climate change, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions 60% by 2050, establishing an emissions trading scheme, and all Australians taking responsibility to use energy more wisely. It argues that decisive action is needed now to lower the risks of climate change, which is already occurring in Australia through rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, and more extreme weather events. The solutions proposed aim to both lower emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change while also creating new business opportunities in clean energy.
This document provides an introductory guide for directors on climate risk governance. It begins with an overview of key climate change concepts, including the physical and economic risks posed by climate change and how it impacts most industries. It then discusses how directors can start their board's climate change journey by understanding their duties, assessing risks and opportunities, and examining governance structures and stakeholder expectations. The guide provides questions for boards to consider around climate governance, strategy, and risk oversight. It also reviews litigation risks and regulatory expectations for companies to address climate change.
Paul Marquis, the education coordinator for NEXUS Green Building Resource Center, discusses green-building economics, life-cycle costing and total cost of ownership, and rebate and incentive programs available to homeowners.
Even though many asset owners have made commitments to responsible investment, the majority have yet to ensure that these are effectively implemented. There are inconsistencies in investment practices in different asset classes, high-level statements on sustainability or environmental, social and governance issues are often missing from investment beliefs, and responsible investment commitments are not embedded in investment mandates.
This creates a multiplier effect throughout the investment market. Weak implementation of responsible investment by individual asset owners sends signals to the investment market as a whole that responsible investment is not a priority for asset owners. In turn, this limits the willingness of investment consultants and investment managers to focus on responsible investment and ESG issues in their products and in their advice.
By implementing their commitments to responsible investment with sufficient scale and depth, asset owners can accelerate the development of responsible investment through the investment chain.
This document discusses the effects of climate change and migration on municipalities in South Africa. It notes that climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of disasters, straining resources. Municipalities will need to strengthen disaster risk reduction and adaptation measures. The document outlines strategies being implemented like developing early warning systems, disaster management plans that include climate risks, and initiatives to support municipalities in adaptation.
This document summarizes the impacts of climate change and migration on South African municipalities. It discusses how climate-related disasters are increasing in frequency and severity due to climate change. Migration trends show many people moving from rural to urban areas in search of economic opportunities, straining municipal services. Climate change is projected to negatively impact sectors like water, agriculture, and forestry. It will also likely increase the costs of infrastructure damage from more extreme weather events. The document outlines strategies and support initiatives South Africa is taking to help municipalities adapt to climate change impacts and better manage urban migration, such as developing an Integrated Urban Development Framework.
Today, CO2 emissions from fossil fuels are around 50 per cent higher than they were 20 years ago, and have been rising each year. This kind of change to the chemical mixture in the air doesn’t come without consequences. Acting like a blanket, the build-up of greenhouse gases is the main reason why the average global temperature has risen by nearly 1°C in the last century. This booklet explains why a rise of only a few degrees in the average global temperature risks our prosperity, security, and health. It explains why it is so important to reverse the rise in emissions within the decade. And why it is still within our means to do so. For more information visit www.climateinstitute.org.au/dangerous-degrees.html
This document summarizes the contributions and support provided for a research project on the implications of climate change scenarios for strategic asset allocation. It thanks the participating organizations and individuals that supported the project. It also includes quotes from several partners on why their organizations participated in the research and its importance. The quotes emphasize that climate change poses significant financial and economic risks for long-term investors and understanding its impacts on investments is crucial for fulfilling fiduciary duties. The research aims to help shape strategic thinking and better integrate climate change into investment programs, policies and risk management.
Climate Action: the need for a systemic approachESD UNU-IAS
Keynote Lecture #2 - 2021 ProSPER.Net Leadership Programme
"Climate Action: the need for a systemic approach", presented by Prof. Lauren Rickards (ECP Director, Urban Futures, RMIT University) at the 2021 ProSPER.Net Leadership Programme, 15 September, 2021.
Divest Invest is a movement that encourages institutions and individuals to sell investments in fossil fuel companies and instead invest in renewable energy and other climate solutions. Over 436 institutions representing over $2.36 trillion have already committed to Divest Invest. Supporters argue that fossil fuel investments are increasingly risky financially due to factors like regulation and innovation in renewables, and that continued investment is also at odds with legal, ethical, and moral obligations to address climate change. While engagement can be part of a responsible investment strategy, widespread collective divestment is needed to effectively shape markets and policy towards limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius.
This presentation discusses how practitioner's of mitigation can create and design new programs to make a change in the new normal. This presentation was given at the Natural Hazard Mitigation Association's annual Symposium held every July in Broomfield, Colorado.
Ed Thomas is a President of NHMA, Floodplain Manager, Disaster Response & Recovery Specialist, and a practicing Attorney. His primary concern is the prevention of misery to disaster victims, the public purse, and to the environment. Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation through advocacy and development of locally orientated policies and procedures with a strong economic, moral and legal foundation is his chosen method of accomplishing this goal.
Watch the video presentation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zy0NI4hN0e8
Philanthropy for the Climate-Change Challenge with John P. Holdrenpackard343comm
Dr. John P. Holdren, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Co-Chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), presented to the David and Lucile Packard Foundation's Board of Trustees on the state of climate policies and action in the United States and worldwide. The Packard Foundation is deeply invested in climate change mitigation efforts and welcomed the opportunity to discuss with Dr. Holdren where philanthropic funding may have the most impact.
This presentation summarises The Climate Institute’s report, Climate Smart Super: Understanding Superannuation & Climate Risk, which examines the impact of climate and carbon risks on retirement and superannuation savings, especially in Australia. Superannuation funds are often Australians’ biggest or second biggest asset but until now very few have had accessible information enabling them to take an active role in managing that asset against climate and carbon policy risks. This report (and presentation) offers a number of simple steps to assist people to engage with their super funds so that they can move from being accidental to active investors and start challenging the dangerous short term focus in business and politics that threatens retirement savings. For more information, visit www.climateinstitute.org.au/climate-smart-super.html
Australian coal reserves and resources alone could exceed global coal carbon budgets and attempts to avoid dangerous climate change. Investors in our coal resources are taking high risk gambles on global climate inaction, the deployment of carbon capture and storage technology or significantly increasing Australia’s share of global coal markets. Governments, investors and even many coal companies say they take climate change seriously, but this report shows that if they did, their Australian investments could be a costly speculative bubble.
Financial institutions play a critical role in our economy. They are the front line in managing all financial risks, including those posed by climate change. The stability of our economy and financial system as a whole will depend on how quickly and deeply financial institutions adapt to the risks faced by the Australian economy from climate change.
Carbon, the way we view it, measure it, control it and price it has come to dominate debates of all kinds. So, what's it all about?
This is the starting point of a 'Carbon 101' guide released by The Climate Institute, alongside a podcast narration by Andrew Demetriou, CEO of the Australian Football League and Dr Graeme Pearman, former head of CSIRO Atmospheric Research. This presentation summarises the book and podcast. Both are available on The Climate Institute's website: www.climateinstitute.org.au/carbon-101.html
The world is poised to take action on climate change, and designers have a huge role to play in fostering this momentum. The Designing Climate Action class prepares for a public event on September 30th, 2015 as part of New York Climate Week 2015 to seed endeavors and create coalitions of activists, designers, scientists, and entrepreneurs designing for a positive climate future.
This presentation gives a different perspective on resilience & recovery. This presentation was given at the Natural Hazard Mitigation Association's annual Symposium held every July in Broomfield, Colorado.
This presentation was given by Michael Cohen, Vice President of Renaissance RE.
The document outlines solutions for Australia to address climate change, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions 60% by 2050, establishing an emissions trading scheme, and all Australians taking responsibility to use energy more wisely. It argues that decisive action is needed now to lower the risks of climate change, which is already occurring in Australia through rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, and more extreme weather events. The solutions proposed aim to both lower emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change while also creating new business opportunities in clean energy.
This document provides an introductory guide for directors on climate risk governance. It begins with an overview of key climate change concepts, including the physical and economic risks posed by climate change and how it impacts most industries. It then discusses how directors can start their board's climate change journey by understanding their duties, assessing risks and opportunities, and examining governance structures and stakeholder expectations. The guide provides questions for boards to consider around climate governance, strategy, and risk oversight. It also reviews litigation risks and regulatory expectations for companies to address climate change.
Paul Marquis, the education coordinator for NEXUS Green Building Resource Center, discusses green-building economics, life-cycle costing and total cost of ownership, and rebate and incentive programs available to homeowners.
Even though many asset owners have made commitments to responsible investment, the majority have yet to ensure that these are effectively implemented. There are inconsistencies in investment practices in different asset classes, high-level statements on sustainability or environmental, social and governance issues are often missing from investment beliefs, and responsible investment commitments are not embedded in investment mandates.
This creates a multiplier effect throughout the investment market. Weak implementation of responsible investment by individual asset owners sends signals to the investment market as a whole that responsible investment is not a priority for asset owners. In turn, this limits the willingness of investment consultants and investment managers to focus on responsible investment and ESG issues in their products and in their advice.
By implementing their commitments to responsible investment with sufficient scale and depth, asset owners can accelerate the development of responsible investment through the investment chain.
This document discusses the effects of climate change and migration on municipalities in South Africa. It notes that climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of disasters, straining resources. Municipalities will need to strengthen disaster risk reduction and adaptation measures. The document outlines strategies being implemented like developing early warning systems, disaster management plans that include climate risks, and initiatives to support municipalities in adaptation.
This document summarizes the impacts of climate change and migration on South African municipalities. It discusses how climate-related disasters are increasing in frequency and severity due to climate change. Migration trends show many people moving from rural to urban areas in search of economic opportunities, straining municipal services. Climate change is projected to negatively impact sectors like water, agriculture, and forestry. It will also likely increase the costs of infrastructure damage from more extreme weather events. The document outlines strategies and support initiatives South Africa is taking to help municipalities adapt to climate change impacts and better manage urban migration, such as developing an Integrated Urban Development Framework.
This document analyzes Australia's exposure to climate change risks for major infrastructure and the country's level of preparation. It finds that infrastructure damage is a leading cost of climate change globally. While Australia is vulnerable due to its climate and coastal population centers, national readiness is patchy. Several infrastructure sectors like electricity and water have begun coordinated climate adaptation efforts, but most sectors are underprepared for impacts like flooding and heatwaves. The report calls for businesses to fully assess climate risks and governments to better integrate climate risk management nationally.
This document discusses successful adaptation to climate change. It addresses who makes adaptation decisions across different scales, from individuals to governments. There are three key dimensions to successful adaptation: reducing a system's sensitivity; altering its exposure; and increasing its resilience. However, defining success is complicated by potential externalities across spatial and temporal scales. Adaptation must be evaluated based on principles of equity, effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy to promote sustainable action.
Climate change preparedness plans are needed to adapt to a warming world with more severe weather. NRENs and higher education institutions should develop such plans aligned with national initiatives. Distance education is important for continuity during disasters. Preparedness plans involve risk analysis to identify vulnerable infrastructure and mitigation strategies. Reliability of the electrical grid is a major threat. Lessons from extreme weather show how distance education and robust networks are critical during disasters. Microgrids and renewable energy can increase reliability and lower costs and emissions.
Climate change preparedness plans are needed to adapt to a warming world with more severe weather. NRENs and higher education institutions should develop such plans aligned with national initiatives. Distance education is important for continuity during disasters. Preparedness plans involve risk analysis to identify vulnerable infrastructure and mitigation strategies. Reliability of the electrical grid is a major threat. Lessons from extreme weather show how distance education and robust networks are critical during disasters. Microgrids and renewable energy can increase reliability and lower costs and emissions.
Presentation of "Managing Drought Risk in a Changing Climate: The Role of Nat...NENAwaterscarcity
Presentation of "Managing Drought Risk in a Changing Climate: The Role of National Drought Policy"
Dr. Donald A. Wilhite
Faculty of Applied Climate Science
School of Natural Resources
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
FAO Near East Regional Office, Cairo, Egypt, 1 March 2015
Vietnam has significant renewable energy potential from solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, and hydropower. The national energy strategy aims to develop these renewable sources and increase rural electrification. Specific targets include 11% of total energy from renewables by 2050. Vietnam also has many climate change mitigation and adaptation policies and programs. For mitigation, Vietnam focuses on energy efficiency, fuel switching, renewable energy, and reducing agricultural and waste emissions. For adaptation, priorities include disaster monitoring, coastal management, food/water security, and building climate resilience. Challenges include capacity and financing for both mitigation and adaptation efforts.
This document provides an overview of climate change adaptation risk assessments being conducted by Monmouthshire County Council in Wales. It outlines the agenda for a workshop to orient staff on climate adaptation challenges and start using a risk assessment tool. The workshop will include presentations on climate risk assessments and online resources, working in service teams to assess risks, and a group discussion to identify priorities. The risk assessments aim to evaluate potential impacts of climate change on the county's services, economy, infrastructure, and communities to inform adaptation planning as required under the UK Climate Change Act of 2008.
Developing countries are not yet well adapted even to current climate risks: floods, droughts and storm. Yet those risks are becoming harsher as the world warms, climate extremes become more intense, and the oceans rise – the consequences of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.
This presentation highlights the findings and lessons learned from the evaluation of World Bank Group Experience in Cliamte Adaptation.
The Strengthening Climate Resilience (SCR) Initiative is a two-year program funded by DFID that began in October 2009. It is led by a consortium including the Institute of Development Studies, Christian Aid, and Plan International. The initiative focuses on 10 countries across Southeast Asia, East Africa, and South Asia. The generic goals are to enhance governments' and civil societies' ability to reduce disaster risk and strengthen resilience to climate change by integrating approaches like climate adaptation and development. A key part of the initiative is to develop, test, and promote a "climate-smart approach to disaster risk management" that integrates tackling changing hazards, enhancing adaptive capacity, and addressing poverty and vulnerability.
The document summarizes Cambridge, MA's climate change vulnerability assessment and preparedness planning process. It discusses Cambridge's history of sustainability initiatives, key climate change concerns like sea level rise and flooding, and the two stage assessment/planning process. The process involves climate modeling, impact analyses on infrastructure/health/economy, and engaging expert/stakeholder committees to identify vulnerable areas and recommend preparedness measures.
0. aandp net presentation on hfa climate change and drrNDRC Nepal
1) Climate change adaptation involves adjusting systems in response to actual or expected climate impacts to moderate harm or exploit opportunities. Many disaster risk reduction measures can directly contribute to better adaptation.
2) The Hyogo Framework for Action provides the foundation for implementing disaster risk reduction and calls for integrating risk reduction for current climate variability and future climate change into strategies.
3) Implementing disaster risk reduction policies and programs can limit climate-related hazard impacts, directly support adaptation, and help reduce poverty, offering a triple benefit. Political commitment is needed to drive cross-sector action.
Current developments in national water law frameworksdaniel edwin
This document outlines current developments in national water law frameworks. It discusses factors influencing changes to water laws like increasing scarcity and environmental concerns. It also covers topics like permitting systems, integrating environmental protections, flood management, land use regulations, institutional coordination challenges, and realizing the human right to water. The document concludes that while changing laws is important, non-legal factors like funding, data collection, education, and political support are also critical to effective implementation of new water governance frameworks. Coordination across sectors and jurisdictions is a key ongoing challenge.
Guidelines for mainstreaming climate change and key consideration ENVIRONMENTALALERTEA1
The document outlines objectives and approaches for mainstreaming climate change into sector plans and budgets in Uganda. It provides guidelines to help sectors conduct climate impact and vulnerability assessments, identify adaptation and mitigation opportunities, and integrate climate considerations into policymaking, financing, implementation and evaluation. Specific steps are outlined, along with tools to screen projects for climate risks and identify resilience measures to address risks. Progress in institutionalizing climate screening and budget tagging is discussed.
Presentation at the policy roundtable in Kenya, February 2012.
http://www.future-agricultures.org/climate-change/7664-policy-dialogue-climate-chaos-policy-dilemma-in-kenya
Korea has developed comprehensive national and local climate change adaptation plans through a rolling planning process since 2008. The plans are implemented across government agencies and sectors. Key aspects of Korea's experience include:
- Developing 3 national adaptation plans that establish long-term visions, set short and mid-term goals, and prioritize adaptation measures across economic, social and environmental sectors.
- Requiring local governments to establish 5-year adaptation action plans tailored to their jurisdictions.
- Providing support programs to help public agencies and private companies strengthen their adaptation capacities and mainstream adaptation into decision-making.
- Establishing a dedicated government agency, the Korea Adaptation Center for Climate Change, to coordinate adaptation policies and conduct
This document summarizes the outcomes of a program that used participatory scenario development (PSD) workshops to build capacity on climate change issues in Tajikistan. The workshops engaged 124 stakeholders across 5 cities to identify climate impacts, adaptation needs, and priorities. Participants saw communities as having low adaptive capacity due to challenges like limited basic services, agriculture difficulties, and natural hazards exacerbated by climate change. They suggested a range of adaptation actions focused on infrastructure, ecosystems, capacity building, and protecting vulnerable groups. Key recommendations included developing a national climate strategy, coordinating agencies, investing in local governments, and ensuring synergies between climate adaptation and development goals. Infrastructure improvements, ecosystem-based measures, and continued capacity building were seen as important for
This document summarizes the Strengthening Climate Resilience (SCR) Initiative, which aims to enhance resilience to climate change and disasters through an integrated approach. The SCR is a two-year program focused on 10 countries across Southeast Asia, East Africa, and South Asia. It seeks to develop a "climate-smart approach to disaster risk management" that integrates disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, and development. The SCR will produce frameworks, case studies, and analyses to refine this approach through field-testing and consultation over the next two years.
Similar to Managing climate risks to Australia's infrastructure (20)
The Climate Institute has been conducting our annual Climate of the Nation attitudinal research since 2007. It is the longest continuous survey of community attitudes about climate change. We have charted the views of Australians about matters relating to climate change and energy policy, through the ups and downs of changing weather patterns, related natural disasters and the waxing and waning of the political landscape.
This presentation summarises this year's research, conducted by polling over 2,000 people across the country, as well as holding focus groups in Brisbane, Melbourne and Newcastle, which once again benchmarks the views of everyday Australians on these key issues. We compare and contrast them to the findings over these past years.
Since 2007, The Climate Institute has produced Climate of the Nation research capturing the nation's pulse on attitudes to climate change. This year's results show an increasing awareness and concern about the impacts of climate change and the country’s future energy mix amid the intensifying political debate.
More Australians trust the science that says climate change is caused by human activities.
The findings provide a critical opportunity for the Abbott government to better reflect public sentiment on climate change in its upcoming announcement on Australia’s post-2020 carbon pollution reduction target. More think that "the Abbott government should take climate change more seriously” and there is a strong expectation for government to regulate carbon pollution, move to phase out aging coal power stations, and invest in renewable energy.
Climate change is having significant impacts on sport in Australia. Rising temperatures are making extreme heat events more common and intense, posing health risks for athletes and spectators. Drought and flooding are also damaging playing surfaces and facilities. Sports organizations will need to adapt practices and infrastructure to manage these climate risks, such as improving heat safety policies and building more resilient venues. Without further climate action, the impacts on sport could increase and challenge its viability in some forms or locations in the future.
Are Australians climate dinosaurs? Climate of the Nation 2014, benchmarking Australian attitudes to climate change, finds that political leaders risk being stuck in the past as public attitudes on climate change and its solutions are on the rebound. In mid-2014, more Australians think that climate change is occurring and are concerned about impacts, present and future. There is a rebound in desire to see the nation lead on finding solutions and a strong expectation of government to address the climate challenge. Opposition to carbon pricing has continued to decline and there is a decline in the minority supporting repeal. For the first time more support carbon pricing than oppose it, even though there is lingering confusion around it. For more information, visit www.climateinstitute.org.au/climate-of-the-nation-2014.html
Buyer Beware: Home insurance, extreme weather & climate change The Climate Institute
In many parts of the country, climate change is mixing with natural variability to pile on the risk of damage to Australian homes. Where Australians live, the design of settlements, the cost of housing, and whether homes are insurable or not are not issues of the future, but very much issues of today.
The Climate Institute, together with CHOICE, commissioned independent risk analysts Climate Risk to take a snapshot of how the home insurance industry is responding to climate risk. The study, Buyer Beware: Home Insurance, Extreme Weather and Climate Change, offers a preliminary analysis of changes in premiums, policies, and insurability. The research reveals the growing risks for homeowners and also offers important new tools to assist homebuyers to assess current and future risk to what is often the biggest asset purchase of their lives.
To find out more, visit http://www.climateinstitute.org.au/buyer-beware.html
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Managing climate risks to Australia's infrastructure
1. The
Climate
Institute
Coming Ready or Not
Managing climate risks to Australia’s infrastructure
1
2. Coming Ready or Not
Managing climate risks to Australia’s infrastructure
October 2012
“Australian’s are no strangers to extreme weather events and with these events
likely to get more frequent and more unpredictable, Australia should be better
placed to adapt to our changing climate. But we are poorly prepared to bear its
impacts on major infrastructure, whether it’s roads, property, or electricity
networks.”
John Connor, CEO of The Climate Institute
The report, Coming Ready or Not: Managing climate risks to Australia’s infrastructure, gathers research on the physical
impacts and consequences of climate change on major infrastructure across the property, electricity, road and rail and
finance sectors. It examines the preparedness of businesses and governments to manage these risks and the steps
needed to improve Australia’s climate readiness.
Imagery: Michael Hall, Creative Fellow
of The Climate Institute
2
3. Key Points
• Government policy is fragmented. Australia still lacks a nationally coordinated approach to
managing climate risks to major infrastructure, with much of the burden of policy implementation
left to local councils – the least resourced and most decentralised level of government. Information
on Australia’s preparedness for likely climate impacts is fragmentary and dispersed.
• The business response is uneven. Some organisations are moving to better understand and
manage their exposure to climate risks. However, most infrastructure owners and operators are
focused on maintaining their assets to standards based on historic, not future, climate. Laggards
face no or little penalty, while early movers are hampered by fragmented information, and
inappropriate and inconsistent regulation.
• Infrastructure is highly interdependent, but action on adaptation is isolated at the
organisational level. Despite some examples of collaboration, preparation for climate change
tends to focus on organisation-level risk management. The implications of climate impacts on
interdependent systems and communities remain underexplored.
• Concern about climate change has fallen among those sectors most exposed. There is also
emerging resistance to adaptive decisions at the community level. This is particularly the case
when local planning decisions are inconsistent and often poorly communicated and implemented.
3
4. China’s Recent Climate Policy
Australia should be
well-placed to adapt to the changing
climate, but our readiness is at best patchy. 4
5. Sector Snapshots
Sector Sample impacts Action underway Readiness rating
Water • Systems stressed by flooding • Coordinated action taking place Relatively advanced
• Supply risks for water users • Sector-wide collaboration on modelling impacts and preparation
responses
• Investigation of interdependencies with electricity
and telecommunications
Property • Damage and destruction of • Widespread examples of early action but Early preparation
property by flood, bushfire uncoordinated at industry and government levels
• Degradation of foundations • Regulation and planning suffers from gaps,
• Impaired health and inconsistency, conflict across and within jurisdictions
productivity
Electricity • Damage from flood/fire • Action is at early stages. Underprepared
• Strain/collapse in heatwaves • Examples of cooperation among networks
• Impaired health and • Regulatory framework an obstacle to action.
productivity
Road + Rail • Flood-induced washouts • Action is at early stages. Underprepared
• Heat induced rail buckling, • Fragmentation of responsibility an obstacle
road cracking • Regulation and planning suffers from gaps,
• Impaired transportation of inconsistency across & within jurisdictions
people and goods
Financial • Insurers directly exposed to • Action is at early stages Underprepared
Services increasing costs of extreme • Action not yet translated into market signals
events
• Investors exposed to impacts
on assets
5
6. Action Plan
Business
1. Assess exposure and vulnerability to climate risk impacts.
• Identify material climate risks for your operations, supply chain, customers, employees as well as interrelated
infrastructure systems.
• Determine how resilient your business is to existing and future climatic variability.
2. Implement a Climate Risk Management Plan
• Establish a 3-5 year plan to manage climate adaptation requirements and explore potential business
opportunities and sources for competitive advantage.
• Embed ongoing management of climate risk into core risk management frameworks, including appropriate
staffing and resourcing.
3. Disclose material climate risks to the market
• Ensure shareholders and investors are informed of material climate risks and risk management strategies to
protect shareholder value.
4. Collaborate to build capacity
• Participate in cross-industry and public discussions about climate risk to build understanding and resilience to
emerging climate risk across the community.
6
7. Action Plan
Government
1. Refresh the National Climate Change Adaptation Framework
• Work across Federal, State and Local Government jurisdictions to develop agreed approaches including
standards and guidelines for including climate risk in planning, development and approval processes.
• Coordinate between levels of government to improve consistency of adaptation action by agreeing practical
requirements for infrastructure planning and development.
• Develop sector specific guidelines for the assessment of climate risk on a consistent basis across key
regulated industry sectors.
• Investigate a national initiative to better identify emerging climate risk impacts for interdependent
infrastructure networks.
2. Expand analysis of infrastructure interdependencies to climate risk
• Expand the approach for ‘critical’ infrastructure taken by the Federal Critical Infrastructure Program for
Modelling and Analysis (CIPMA) to all other key infrastructure assets and industry sectors.
• Work with asset owners and operators of critical infrastructure to better manage cross-sectoral
interdependencies and climate risk impacts.
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8. Action Plan
Government
3. Publish a National Resilience Report Card
• Develop a national adaptation scorecard to measure the degree to which Australia is adapting effectively and
report on progress against agreed targets.
• Publish tools and resources for small business and the community to support effective adaptation at the
local level.
4. Deliver leadership through collaboration
• Collaborate with government and private sector asset owners and operators to continue to build skills and
capacity around identifying and managing climate risk effectively.
• Establish city-wide taskforces with private and public sector participation to better coordinate adaptation and
climate risk management strategies for each of the major capital cities across Australia.
8
9. The Economic Impacts of Climate Change
Extreme events continue to wreak major economic damage, at home and abroad.
• A summer of heatwaves and drought in the United States has shrivelled agricultural
output, buckled rail and roads and strained power generators. In Queensland, coalmines
still hold water from last year’s floods, costing the industry $7 billion in lost exports.
• Added to the direct impact of disaster are the indirect or knock-on effects. Disasters tie up
emergency services, the armed forces, and medical professionals and volunteers. They
damage supplies of power, water, fuel and food. They destroy farms and tourism
centres, and may slash export earnings by millions, even billions of dollars.
• Violent storms, heat waves, fires and floods injure adults and children, mentally as well as
physically, which, apart from the personal suffering, means higher welfare, productivity and
health costs. The cost of insurance rises, and large sums of (often public) money are
needed to cover the uninsured and repair damaged infrastructure, communities and
industries.
9
10. World Map of Extreme Weather + Impacts
The Economic Impacts of Climate Change
Australia’s climate is naturally highly variable, but the ‘land of droughts and
flooding rains’ is beginning to see hotter droughts and heavier downpours. A
rapidly changing climate drives not just warmer but wilder weather. For our
infrastructure – economic, social and natural – this means that the past is no
longer a good guide to future risk
Extreme rains or floods
Extreme drought or heatwave 10
11. Manage the unavoidable
Climate change is a force shaping the business environment, in which uncertainty is inescapable,
flexibility is essential, and complacency leads to failure.
International consultancy KPMG The cascading consequences of a 60cm sea level rise…
lists climate change as one of
ten global ‘megaforces’
redefining business
sustainability. Others include
resource scarcity and population
growth.
Companies that recognise and
ready themselves for these
game-changers are better
placed to succeed than their
less-prepared competitors.
11
12. Avoid the unmanageable
Preventing dangerous climate change is crucial. As global emissions and temperatures rise, so do
the costs of adaptation, and the risks of getting it wrong.
Adapting to climate change becomes more difficult as Just how big are the risks of
temperatures rise…
these nonlinear changes is the
subject of intense study, but we
already have some good
indications.
Analysis undertaken to date
indicates that while Brisbane and
Melbourne, for example,
currently have $3.4 billion and
$2.2 billion in exposed assets, a
rise in average global
temperatures of ‘only’ a couple of
degrees sees their exposure
increase to $33 billion and $40
billion respectively.
12
13. The challenges of preparing
The vulnerability of Australia’s infrastructure depends not only on the degree of climate change to
which it is exposed, but on how we deal with it: how and where we build new structures, how we
adapt existing ones, and how we modify our infrastructure use.
Generally, the most effective strategies for climate preparation are those that can accommodate a
range of likely climate change scenarios. Five strategies to deal with climate uncertainty are:
• No regrets – actions that yield benefits even in the absence of climate change. For example,
efficiency improvements in water or energy use can minimise the impact of shortages or
disruptions to supply while reducing costs.
• Flexible/Reversible – actions that minimise the cost of being wrong about future climate
impacts. These include constructions that can be easily retrofitted or upgraded, or decisions that
can easily be reversed.
• Safety Margin – designing infrastructure to cope with the full extent of likely climate impacts.
This is appropriate when the higher costs of initial construction are relatively small compared
with the costs of retrofitting later.
• Soft – financial, institutional or behavioural tools. Insurance; incorporation of regularly reviewed
long-term planning horizons.
• Reducing decision-making time horizons – building cheaper, shorter-lived assets.
13
14. Be ready for major shifts
When is step-change What do we need to do to prepare for climate change?
needed?
Tipping points or thresholds
triggered by climate change –
singly or in combination with
other forces – may increase
community vulnerability to
catastrophic risk to such an
extent that simply preserving
existing areas of development
and activity becomes
unprofitable or even
impossible.
14
15. Sector Snapshot: Property
Australia’s buildings are worth approximately $5.7 trillion. Among these, an estimated $159 billion
worth of buildings are vulnerable to sea level rise and storm surge. This includes more than 8,000
commercial, 6,000 industrial and 274,000 residential buildings around the country.
Who’s doing what?
• Major companies such as Mirvac, Stockland, GPT and DEXUS have all examined their exposure
to climate risk and developed strategies to minimise their vulnerability.
• Some not-for-profit organisations have also begun preparing for climate impacts, despite facing
additional capacity and structural challenges.
• Various industry associations are beginning to facilitate climate adaptive activity: the Australian
Green Infrastructure Council has produced Climate Change Adaptation Guidelines for
Infrastructure, while the Insurance Council of Australia is developing with Edge Environment an
online tool for residential property owners to assess the risk profile of their property.
• A number of local councils have begun to incorporate future climate risks into regulation.
15
17. Sector Snapshot: Electricity
The electricity supply system is one of the most essential elements of Australia’s core infrastructure. It is
also a critical component of other infrastructure systems: water supply, wastewater management and
telecommunications. At the same time, the electricity sector is dependent on other infrastructure
systems.
Who’s doing what?
• Isolated examples of activity can be found among electricity generators. Macquarie Generation, for
example, has examined the exposure of its coal plants to water shortages.
• Within the transmission and distribution sector, companies have recently begun to examine their
climate risk exposure. Queensland’s Ergon Energy and Energex developed a combined Network
Adaptation Plan in 2011.
• Developments in the UK also indicate a potential path forward: the country’s energy industry has
been undertaking collaborative research with the Met Office to assess the scale of climate change
impacts.
17
19. Sector Snapshot: Road + Rail
The dispersal of a relatively small population across a massive landmass means that Australia is
deeply dependent on its land transport infrastructure. The main climate risk to road and rail is increased
flooding owing to more intense rainfall. This results in landslides, road collapse, and washout of roads
and rail tracks.
Who’s doing what?
• The lack of integrated planning in this sector makes it difficult to assess the degree of action
underway to prepare it for the impacts of climate change.
• Examples of state-level climate adaptation policy exist: for example, proposals for new state roads
and major road upgrades in Queensland must include a Climate Change Impact
Statement, although the results are not required to be integrated into design and construction.
• In rail, the Australasian Railway Association notes that no climate change assumptions have been
built into rail building standards to date
19
21. Sector Snapshot: Finance
Several sectors of the finance industry are positioned to drive stronger responses to climate impacts.
Several significant initiatives aim to build cross-industry awareness and skills in assessing and
managing climate risk in lending and investment activities. The insurance industry’s exposure to the
costs of extreme weather events makes it a key player in climate risk management.
Who’s doing what?
• Australia makes up less than 2 per cent of the global reinsurance market, but over the last five
years has incurred 6 per cent of global losses.114 Insurers are taking a range of actions in
response, including raising premiums, withdrawing cover in some areas, developing new tools
and government advocacy to encourage risk mitigation.
• Westpac, National Australia Bank and ANZ have all made statements to the effect that they factor
climate risk into their credit assessment process for debt and equity lending.
• Institutional investors, including a superannuation industry worth $1.4 trillion, are also taking a
growing interest in climate risks, albeit from a low base.
21
22. Sector Snapshot: Finance
This table shows Mercer’s assessment of positive and negative impacts on asset classes of
four climate change scenarios.
22
23. The estimated annual costs of unmitigated climate change
on Australia’s infrastructure would reach nearly
$9 billion in 2020 and $40 billion in 2050.
2008 Garnaut Review
23
24. Conclusion
“As emissions and temperatures rise, so do the costs of adaptation and the risks of getting it wrong.
For a global temperature rise of less than 2 degrees Celsius, climate impacts must at least be
integrated to infrastructure design, construction, maintenance, operations and regulations.”
But Australia is a no stranger to extreme weather events, yet our population lives in coastal cities that
are exposed to rising sea levels and connected by infrastructure that is exposed to the full range of
weather conditions. For us, a world of more than 2 degrees of global warming will require a much
more radical change to infrastructure and our daily lives.”
John Connor, CEO of The Climate Institute
• This report has found that Australia is less prepared than it should be. Progress is being made but
it is piecemeal, locked in past paradigms and uncoordinated. Leaders in climate risk management
are hampered by disjointed information provision, policies and regulations; laggards face no or
little penalties.
• There are many accessible steps that can be taken to prepare businesses for climate change. In
the first instance, a risk assessment and 3-5 year plan to act or gather additional information is a
prudent, responsible means of progression.
• Climate risk mitigation and planning is an ongoing, evolving and iterative process, not a once off.
24
25. Partnership
This project was conducted in partnership with Manidis Roberts, Mirvac & Westpac. The support of
Bond University’s Mirvac School of Sustainable Development should also be acknowledged.
25
26. More information
Visit www.climateinstitute.org.au/coming-ready-or-not.html
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