A map of Australia.

Regional impacts of climate change

A team of scientists brought together by CSIRO is creating a better understanding of the impacts of climate change around Australia.

• 6 May 2005 | Updated 14 October 2011

• Managing the future
• Focus and outcomes

Australia’s understanding of the region-by-region impact of climate change across the country is being enhanced by CSIRO’s Climate Impacts Group.

The group:

• generates regional climate projections for Australia
• estimates the potential impacts
• assesses adaptation options
• engages a broad range of stakeholders
• provides advice on risk-management strategies.

The challenge is to understand how the natural variability and the lasting changes in climate affect natural and human systems. This knowledge can be used to advise on ways to reduce these impacts and adapt to a changing climate.

Managing the future

By identifying sensitivity, critical thresholds and adaptation options, we can engage decision-makers in developing ways to manage these risks and plan for Australia’s future.

This is being achieved by combining Australia’s world-class research and development capacity with the skills of some of the world’s best climate scientists.

The group's work involves extensive partnerships with government and industry experts.

Focus and outcomes

The specific areas we're currently working in include:

• regional projections for temperature, rainfall, evaporation, wind and cyclones
• development of OzClim software for generating and visualising regional projections that can be used in impact studies
• impact assessments for flooding, storm surges, fire, snow and river flow
• significant involvement in assessments conducted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
• cutting-edge research on climate change risk management.

Find out more about CSIRO's capability in understanding and predicting climate change.