Adapting to Climate Change in Australia - An Australian Government Position Paper
Abstract
This paper sets out the Australian Government’s vision for adapting to the impacts of climate change and proposes practical steps to realise this vision. Adapting to the impacts of climate change will be a substantial ongoing challenge for all Australians well into the future. Meeting this challenge will require contributions from governments at all levels, businesses, communities and individuals. Individuals and businesses will adapt to developments as they unfold. However, governments have an important role to play in creating the right framework and in providing appropriate information to allow the private sector to make well-informed decisions. To this end, the Australian Government proposes to work through the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) to develop a national adaptation agenda. This agenda will clarify roles and responsibilities for adapting to the impacts of climate change and identify priorities for collaborative action between governments to position Australia to manage the unavoidable impacts of climate change.
