Please note that this is an on-going project.
Project Description
Our research investigates how to improve climate change adaptation responses with a particular focus on the transitioning and repurposing of properties (otherwise known as managed retreat or planned retreat). We address three main research questions:
1. What are the key factors that determine the success or failure of transitioning and repurposing properties to build resilience to the impacts of climate change?
2. What are the options for financing this transitioning and repurposing?
3. What is the best combination of policy, planning, and legal instruments to support this transitioning and repurposing?
The research collates and synthesises existing knowledge from around the world and investigates the willingness of landowner to engage in such schemes, the private sector demand for environmental credits, options for regulatory innovation, as well as the institutional barriers and enablers to their operation.
The aim is to create outputs that can inform policymaking and planning, as well as provide a better understanding of resourcing mechanisms that could be implemented to compensate owners for giving-up properties to enable it to be repurposed for activities such as habitat restoration.
Project Personnel and Beneficiaries
The research team consists of Associate Professor Michael Howes, Dr Aysin Dedekorkut-Howes, Mr Andrew Buckwell, Associate Professor Justine Bell-James (UQ), Dr Johanna Nalau, Dr Edward Morgan, and Dr Margaret Cook.
The beneficiaries of the research are communities, businesses, and governments that are at risk from the impacts of climate change.
Outcomes to Date
The team won a small grant in 2022 from the Climate Action Beacon to commence the research. In 2023, the team has been presenting its preliminary findings to several Australian and international conferences. It is also in the process of finalising the background literature review and submitting for publication.
Project Significance
While several different natural systems influence the climate of Australia, anthropogenic climate change acts as a significant driver that increases the frequency, intensity and/or duration of extreme weather events (Commonwealth Scientific and industrial Research Organisation and Bureau of Meteorology 2020). For Australia, climate change increases the risks associated with heat-related events (such as bushfires, droughts, and heatwaves) and water-related events (such as flooding, storms, and rising sea levels) (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2022). These impacts are spread across the whole continent (Australian Academy of Science 2015) and have already started to manifest themselves (Cresswell, et al. 2021). In the last few years, for example, Australia has faced the Millennium Drought (2000-2010), the Black Saturday Bushfires (2009), the Queensland Floods (2011), the Black Summer Bushfires (2019-2020), and large-scale repeated flooding events in the eastern states (2022). In addition, the coastal areas have started to see the effects of sea level rise, coastal erosion, storm surges, and inundation (Alexander, Ryan & Measham, 2012; CoastAdapt, 2020). These events have made it increasingly evident that building resilience to the increased risks posed by climate change is a priority.
Related Link
External link to https://www.griffith.edu.au/cities-research-institute/research/adaptation-science