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Australian climate change research

Climate change science provides the information needed to understand and plan for climate change impacts, thereby increasing community resilience and reducing the cost of climate change impacts to society. Australian scientists are at the forefront of global efforts to understand the science behind climate change. Australia has a unique interest in and responsibility for leading climate change research in the southern hemisphere.

National Environmental Science Program (NESP)

The key objective of the National Environmental Science Program (NESP) is to improve our understanding of Australia’s environment through collaborative research that delivers accessible results and informs decisions.

The program is building on its predecessors, the National Environmental Research Program and the Australian Climate Change Science Programme, to support decision-makers to understand, manage and conserve Australia’s environment with the best available information, based on world-class science. The NESP is a long-term commitment to environment and climate research, with funding of $26 million per year during the life of the program.

The NESP is being delivered primarily through six thematic hubs:

  • Clean Air and Urban Landscapes Hub
  • Earth Systems and Climate Change Hub
  • Marine Biodiversity Hub
  • Northern Australia Environmental Resources Hub
  • Threatened Species Recovery Hub
  • Tropical Water Quality Hub

Further information about the Hubs is available on the NESP website.

CSIRO Climate Science Centre

The CSIRO Climate Science Centre was formed in 2016. The mission of the Centre is to deliver the climate knowledge Australia needs to inform an effective national response to the challenges of a variable and changing climate. The CSIRO Climate Science Centre will:

  • guarantee climate research capability for 10 years from its establishment
  • develop a decadal climate forecasting capability
  • provide ongoing support for critical climate system measurement infrastructure (such as greenhouse gas observations and analyses from the Bureau of Meteorology’s Cape Grim Baseline Air Pollution Station; maintenance of the air archive, Gaslab and Icelab facilities; and ocean observations on board the Marine National Facility and through contributions to the global Argo array).

Further information is available on the CSIRO Climate Science Centre website.

National Climate Science Advisory Committee

In 2016, the Government established the National Climate Science Advisory Committee (NCSAC). The purpose of the NCSAC is to advise the Australian Government on a nationally aligned and integrated approach to climate science, which will inform the direction and sustainability of Australia’s climate science capability and research priorities. The members of the Committee are:

  • Dr Katherine Woodthorpe AO (Chair) - term ended 6 August 2019
  • Associate Professor Julie Arblaster, Monash University (senior climate scientist)
  • Professor Mark Howden, Director, ANU Climate Change Institute (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and adaptation representative)
  • Professor Timothy Naish, Director, Antarctic Research Centre at the Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand (international representative)
  • Dr John Gunn, CEO, Australian Institute of Marine Science (senior scientist, Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering)

Ex-officio members

  • Mr David Fredericks, Secretary, Department of the Environment and Energy
  • Dr Heather Smith, Secretary, Department of Industry, Innovation and Science
  • Dr Alan Finkel, Australia’s Chief Scientist
  • Dr Andrew Johnson, Director, Bureau of Meteorology
  • Dr Helen Cleugh, Director, CSIRO Climate Science Centre
  • Prof David Karoly, Director, Earth Systems and Climate Change Hub, National Environmental Science Program
  • Dr Gwen Fenton, Chief Scientist, Australian Antarctic Division

The Committee has finalised its advice to the Australian Government on the development of a strategy for climate science in Australia, including:

  • Australia’s climate science priorities, capabilities and resources;
  • a stocktake of existing capabilities and options for addressing any gaps; and
  • ongoing climate science community coordination arrangements.

The Committee’s final report, Climate Science for Australia’s Future is now available.

Resources