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Assessing current capability and future directions

PROJECT 1.1: Current capability and future directions assessment

To date Australian climate change research has delivered excellent, peer-reviewed science which is available for stakeholders through tools such as the Climate Change in Australia website. Increasingly governments at all levels, agriculture and business need more tailored information to inform decision-making.

To guide the direction of its long-term research delivery, the Hub initiated an assessment of the current capability and future directions for Earth Systems and Climate Change science in Australia. Specifically, the assessment focused on how the Hub’s partner agencies can respond to stakeholder identified gaps and needs in terms of climate change information to inform decision making.

The assessment was completed by Scientell Pty Ltd, and the final report and executive summary was delivered in December 2017. The report provided ten recommendations to improve access and delivery of best possible climate science and information products to stakeholders:

  1. The foundation of any national or international policies and actions in response to climate change must be built on the best possible science
  2. The science must be better coordinated and appropriately funded across all Australian (and international) science providers.
  3. Efficient and effective uptake of climate change information and services in Australia requires a step-change to improve the strategy, processes and organisation of climate change science and service delivery.
  4. There is a need for more communication to ensure science is integrated with decision making.
  5. There is a need for long-term strategy coupled with long-term funding cycles cemented into long-term partnerships with users.
  6. The historical quality of Australia’s climate change science community represents a strength to be built on.
  7. There has been a generational shift with senior scientists already ending or near to ending their careers, coinciding with a reduction overall in funding support, leading to capacity difficulties.
  8. The reality of climate change is generating increasing needs for evidence-based and science-based assessments of climate change risk and the science-based services.
  9. An improved effort is needed involving the academic community, the government funded institutions, governments industry and commerce to ensure that
  10. To realise impact the Hub needs to deliver science-based knowledge and services via ‘ambassadors’ to small sectors of the economy and even down to the enterprise level where very specific business needs exist.

Read the Hub’s response.

For more details, read the executive summary of the assessment.

 

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