11 May 2020
Climate variability and change present a range of risks for our society, economy and environment. We have already experienced the impacts of more heatwaves, droughts, fires, floods and storms in Australia.
Better understanding these impacts and associated risks can help to inform ‘climate action’. A forward-looking, nationally-coordinated, fit-for-purpose approach to providing data, information and associated knowledge in the form of climate services which meet the priority needs of users across the public and private sector, is likely to deliver tangible on-ground impacts and helps to build climate resilience across Australian communities and the economy.
To inform development of a national climate services capability for Australia, the workshop ‘Knowledge Exchange: Services and Science Supporting Climate Action’ was held in March 2020 at the CSIRO Climate Science Centre in Melbourne. The workshop was jointly sponsored by the Stepping-Up Knowledge Exchange between Climate Adaptation Knowledge Platforms (KE4CAP) project funded by the European Commission, the Earth Systems and Climate Change Hub of the Australian Government’s National Environmental Science Program and the CSIRO Navigating Climate Change Mission.
The March Australian KE4CAP workshop aimed to:
- Share information between EU and Australia to inform best-practice approaches to developing a national climate intelligence capability for Australia, with development of a national (digital and domain) climate services capability as a core component; and
- Identify the steps towards further bilateral and multilateral collaborative partnerships to facilitate ongoing engagement, knowledge exchange and longer-term learnings.
The EU-funded KE4CAP project aims to advance cooperation and learning across countries with respect to using web-based platforms to support climate action and adaptation. It helps people share information, learn from different approaches and work together to address challenges. The Melbourne workshop was the first of three Bi-lateral Knowledge Exchange events to be organised by KE4CAP, with following events planned in Japan and Canada, along with other bi-lateral and multi-lateral knowledge exchange events and activities with various countries.
Over 3 days, the Melbourne workshop participants examined Australian climate platform examples and perspectives through the lens of existing platforms, projects and initiatives at national and state-level. Representatives from the EU provided examples and perspectives on their experiences with developing and improving existing platforms in EU countries (such as Ireland, the UK and Italy), and shared challenges across EU and Australia were identified. The value proposition for an Australian national climate platform capability (effectively an ‘ecosystem’ of existing and new platforms) was also discussed at the workshop, and an enhanced understanding of the way forward for developing a platform approach to mainstreaming Australia’s climate intelligence and associated climate services capability was gained.
A workshop report which summarises the proceedings from the workshop, including key issues, insights and outcomes is now available.
A second report that summarises the workshop from the perspective of KE4CAP project is also available. This KE4CAP report reflects on the lessons learnt in the Melbourne workshop towards enhancing the value of web-based platforms and is also intended to inform future KE4CAP knowledge exchange activities.
Going forward, the outcomes from the Melbourne workshop and other KE4CAP activities will inform the final reporting of the National Climate Science Advisory Committee (NCSAC) National Climate Services Capability project for Australia, currently led through the Earth Systems and Climate Change Hub.
Workshop outcomes will also inform ongoing implementation of the KE4CAP project in collaboration with the EU and partner countries.
Read more:
- Report from the Melbourne KE4CAP workshop Platform-based science and services supporting climate action
- KE4CAP project reflections on the Melbourne workshop
Melbourne KE4CAP workshop presentations:
For more information :
Dr Geoff Gooley, ESCC Hub Program Manager