The risks and impacts of climate change on indigenous
communities in Australia’s tropical north is the subject of a
new scoping study funded by the Federal Department of Climate
Change.
The study will assess the vulnerability and adaptive capacity of
hundreds of Indigenous communities to climate change impacts across
an area spanning the Kimberley, Arnhem Land, Cape York and the
Torres Strait.
A multidisciplinary research team from UNSW’s Climate
Change Research Centre, CSIRO and the North Australian Indigenous
Land and Sea Management Alliance will consider:
- Climate projections in the tropical north, including average
changes and extreme weather events.
- How biophysical impacts impact human and ecosystem health.
- Likely costs to existing infrastructure such as roads,
buildings and coastal development, impacts on energy and
communication infrastructure, delivery of education and health
services.
- The potential economic opportunities from carbon abatement
schemes.
- Changes in biodiversity and traditional food-source
security.
- Impacts on indigenous employment, enterprise and tourism.
Led by CCRC’s research fellow, Dr Donna Green, the team
will use a range of regionally focused climate change projections
to assess impacts in the years 2030 and 2070.
“Climate change impact studies have largely ignored
Australia’s tropical north, despite the vulnerability of many
of the communities living in unique ecosystems in this vast region
so it will be important work,” says Dr Green.
The researchers will use spatial information to report on key
areas of concern such as vulnerability to extreme weather events
and temperature change. They will generate maps showing
‘hotspot’ communities and locations that are more
likely to be impacted by the direct and indirect effects of climate
change.
“These ‘vulnerability maps’ will reveal the
capacity and resilience of these communities to withstand and adapt
to climate change impacts. They will also show what further
research needs to be performed,” says Green.
“Once these vulnerability maps have been produced, we will
talk to Indigenous leaders and government agencies to engage them
to ‘ground truth’ the impacts and begin discussions for
further research direction and policy options,” says Joe
Morrison of the North Australian Indigenous Land & Sea
Management Alliance (NAILSMA).
“Indigenous communities face many serious consequences
from climate change, including impacts on community infrastructure
from cyclones and flooding, and effects to their customary estates
from salt water intrusion and changes to sea levels and rainfall
patterns. “It is imperative that we start to consider these
scenarios and to prepare already vulnerable communities with the
means to respond’.
The Department of Climate Change, the Western Australia
Department of Environment and Conservation, the Northern Territory
and Queensland Governments all support this scoping study.
