Transcript

Narrator: Fire, drought and floods are nothing new to Australia.

Many have had to learn to cope with the threat to lives, property and the natural environment.

But now the world is facing human-induced climate change – perhaps the greatest economic and moral challenge of our time.

Extreme weather events are likely to become more severe, more frequent or longer lasting.

CSIRO’s Climate Adaptation National Research Flagship, is developing adaptation responses to counter the expected damaging effects of climate change. It will analyse future climate changes in Australia, deliver strategies to manage their impact, and build on new ways to combat and even benefit from these challenges.

The Climate Adaptation Flagship will assist primary industries by providing seasonal climate predictions and developing strategies for their long-term viability.

Ian McClelland, Chairman Birchip Cropping Group: Science is going to be crucial in this whole adaptation for farmers and they’ll, through genetic engineering, they’ll put a frost gene in frost-resistant gene in a wheat crop, which will be fantastic for farmers, or it would do a drought-resistant gene. But also we’ll get completely new crops.

Narrator: Bushfire risk is expected to increase. Ways of predicting their path and spread will be studied and analysed.

Ken Thompson, Deputy Commissioner, NSW Fire Brigade: Climate change is being taken very seriously by the fire and emergency services and I think that’s because we’re at the forefront already. We’ve seen a lot more serious events, storm events, bushfire events over the past 10 to 15 years.

Narrator: Australia’s worst drought in recorded history already means severe water shortages in cities and on the land . The Flagship will deliver scientific solutions to help farmers cope with water shortages.

Better management strategies will be developed to help contain floods, storm surges and sea level rises .

Geoff Withycombe, Sydney Coastal Councils Group: Well we’re hearing the predictions for the sea level rise is about an increase of 1 metre over the next century. We’re going to have some significant issues in relation to that. Obviously due to increased storm erosion of our beach escarpments, putting properties at risk both in the public and private sector. We’re also going to have nationally about 700 thousand properties classified “at risk” from coastal erosion.

Narrator: With more than 90% of Australians living in cities or along the coastal fringe, the Flagship will play a critical role to inform new building and infrastructure design, sustainable urban planning, and innovative strategies for local councils and government to make the changes that will need to be made.

It will examine the vulnerability to climate change of Native species, and develop methods to improve their chance of survival and tackle the threat of invasive species.

Sam Mostyn, Insurance Australia Group: I think the important point is understanding how we adapt to that changed climate and understanding which businesses are most vulnerable to those events, which parts of the country are at most risk and therefore have higher insurance premiums or just can’t sustain the businesses that they once did and adapt.

Narrator: Australia is the driest inhabited continent on earth. And we’re more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change than any other industrialised nation.

By partnering with government, industry and communities across Australia the CSIRO Climate Adaptation National Research Flagship aims to equip the Nation with practical and effective science-based options for tackling the challenge of climate change.

Sam Mostyn, Insurance Australia Group: And as Australians we’ve adapted in many cases over hundreds of years to changed environments and changed climates, we’ve just got to do that again, but I think with a sense of optimism that we can be in all sorts of new industries.