FUTURE DIRECTIONS FOR AUSTRALIAN CLIMATE CHANGE SCIENCE

Statement by the President

Professor Kurt Lambeck FAA
President, Australian Academy of Science

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The recent workshop on Future directions for Australian climate change science held on 12 and 13 March 2008 brought together leading climate change scientists in Australia to identify the top research priorities for Australia. The proceedings are a record of the discussions.

The Australian Academy of Science was pleased to host this important workshop at the Shine Dome, in collaboration with the Australian Department of Climate Change, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO. The workshop discussions provided a valuable and timely contribution from Australian climate scientists on how the global climate is changing, and the need for researchers to be able to better monitor and understand the climate so that responses and actions are well-informed.

Australian climate change scientists are recognised for their work in Australia and internationally, including for their contributions to the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which has assembled much of the collective data on global climate change and future scenarios. The Australian Academy of Science strongly supports the need for a sustainable Australian climate change science program, with the facilities and expertise to provide an improved scientific understanding of the basic processes for determining climate change. This research can then provide the scientific basis to properly understand the impacts for Australia and the region, and to provide reliable advice on appropriate actions by government, industry and the broader community.

The key messages from the workshop speakers included:

  • The increasing demands on climate change science and research for Australia and the world to better understand the climate systems, and for the development of appropriate national and global strategies in accord with cyclical and human influences;

  • Australia's climate change research needs to be undertaken in collaboration with international research efforts to ensure that our understanding of the climate change impacts for Australia benefits from the global research work;

  • Australian climate change research is needed to help inform the policies and strategies by government, industry and the broader community for addressing the impacts of national and global climate change through practical measures for adaptation and/or mitigation; and

  • Australians are looking for answers from the research sector to community concerns about the future impacts of climate change on changing weather patterns which could affect our coastline, the Great Barrier Reef, agriculture, water supply and temperature extremes.

The workshop considered that the priorities for climate change research in Australia to address the major challenges required:

  • Enhanced capabilities for observing and monitoring climate change on a sustainable basis to understand the more vulnerable aspects of the climate system and the likely thresholds for major changes;

  • Significant strengthening of Australian climate modeling systems and capabilities to support the observations, and the need for models to be owned and well understood by the Australian research community;

  • Advanced data handling and supercomputing facilities;

  • Training and career opportunities for the next generation of climate scientists; and

  • The development of a 'National Framework for Climate Change Science' which incorporates interdisciplinary research activities addressing the big challenges that face Australia and the region; essential research infrastructure for observation, modeling and development of climate information systems to inform the development of government policies for adaptation and mitigation; and training and career opportunities for the next generation of scientists.

The Academy was pleased to be associated with this workshop and the initiative by the Department of Climate Change. It provides an overview of the significant research challenges to be addressed for a better understanding of climate change processes, and some priorities for early consideration.