Are proposed land-based sinks for greenhouse gases resilient to climate change and natural variability? One strategy to reduce the scale of future climate change is to enhance the storage of carbon in vegetation and soils. Evidence suggests carbon stored in vegetation and soils is itself vulnerable to climate change, placing this stored carbon at risk; this project will assess this risk to advise on the reliability of using terrestrial systems as carbon sinks.
Conflicting temporalities of climate governance: a comparative sociology of policy design and operationalization in Australia and the United Kingdom. This project will investigate the ways in which climate policy in Australia and the United Kingdom deals with uncertainty in the timing of climate change and climate change impacts. It will evaluate the utility of various approaches to climate policy and the potential contradictions that arise between climate dynamics and the policy design.
Quantifying and mitigating changes in Australia’s rainfall belts. This project aims to understand how past climate changes affected Australia’s rainfall belts, and to reverse recent changes in rainfall belts. Australia’s climate belts are moving, but it is unclear if the effects on tropical and temperate rainfall will be permanent. This project will use past climate records and palaeoclimate databases to assess how natural and human-induced changes during the past millennium affected Australia’s ....Quantifying and mitigating changes in Australia’s rainfall belts. This project aims to understand how past climate changes affected Australia’s rainfall belts, and to reverse recent changes in rainfall belts. Australia’s climate belts are moving, but it is unclear if the effects on tropical and temperate rainfall will be permanent. This project will use past climate records and palaeoclimate databases to assess how natural and human-induced changes during the past millennium affected Australia’s rainfall zones, and specialised climate model simulations to determine whether greenhouse gas reduction could mitigate future rainfall changes. The outcomes are expected to inform policy and mitigation strategies to secure Australia’s precious water resources.Read moreRead less
Regulating the Climate Finance Revolution. This project aims to identify how financial market regulators might best incentivise financial institutions to shift from high to low carbon investments, thereby mitigating climate change. It expects to generate new knowledge identifying regulatory excellence in previously uncharted territory and to enable best practice policymaking. Its expected outcomes will be to identify the central roles that the design and implementation of regulation can play in ....Regulating the Climate Finance Revolution. This project aims to identify how financial market regulators might best incentivise financial institutions to shift from high to low carbon investments, thereby mitigating climate change. It expects to generate new knowledge identifying regulatory excellence in previously uncharted territory and to enable best practice policymaking. Its expected outcomes will be to identify the central roles that the design and implementation of regulation can play in fast tracking finance for climate action. Its benefits should include advancing climate change mitigation, facilitating the development of Australia as a competitive sustainable finance market and contributing to Australia’s research on achieving a desirable energy future. Read moreRead less
Know & Show Your Carbon Footprint - Discovery Phase
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$35,000.00
Summary
This project will be an initial discovery phase to inform scoping of overall approach.
Deliverables include: Consultation across fishing and aquaculture stakeholders at least 38 key fishing and aquaculture stakeholders. • Identification of the functional and non-functional requirements to create K&S functionality for the included sectors. • Identification of the data and modelling requirements to create K&S module/functionality for the included sectors. • Assessment ....This project will be an initial discovery phase to inform scoping of overall approach.
Deliverables include: Consultation across fishing and aquaculture stakeholders at least 38 key fishing and aquaculture stakeholders. • Identification of the functional and non-functional requirements to create K&S functionality for the included sectors. • Identification of the data and modelling requirements to create K&S module/functionality for the included sectors. • Assessment of any current solutions/calculators provided relative to the market requirement. • Evaluate current reference and benchmarking data versus what is required to support accurate, automated carbon accounting, and, ultimately inform decision-making that enables productivity whilst reducing carbon emissions. • Understand the gap between knowing your carbon footprint and being able to make informed decisions that lead to reductions in emissions. • Identification of the data and modelling requirements to create a module and/or functionality for the included sectors. • Identification of the missing calculators, features, functionality and underlying data and research required to enable all sectors to participate and benefit from the platform. • Documented solution design for creation of functionality identified during discovery for addition to the core infrastructure. • Report detailing the results of the carbon footprint calculation drivers / needs / existing knowledge, tools & data, gap analysis, and solution design. This will inform the Contributor and AIA in respect of further investment in the K&S solution.
Objectives: 1. Complete discovery phase to inform scoping of 'Know & Show', for consideration Read moreRead less
Smart materials for atmospheric water management and water harvesting. Fresh water is a scarce resource in many parts of the globe but uncomfortably over-supplied in other regions. Dehumidifying machines, such as air conditioners, are extensively used in humid climates to enhance human comfort, but with great energy costs. Likewise, the production of potable water in remote dry regions is energy intensive. We propose novel hyper-absorbent desiccating polymers combined into sorption-powered engin ....Smart materials for atmospheric water management and water harvesting. Fresh water is a scarce resource in many parts of the globe but uncomfortably over-supplied in other regions. Dehumidifying machines, such as air conditioners, are extensively used in humid climates to enhance human comfort, but with great energy costs. Likewise, the production of potable water in remote dry regions is energy intensive. We propose novel hyper-absorbent desiccating polymers combined into sorption-powered engines inspired by nastic movements in plants to develop extremely efficient dehumidifiers and water harvesting machines. These polymer actuators can help address the auto-acceleration of climate change caused by the increasing use of air conditioners and provide cheap, clean water for remote communities.Read moreRead less
Sea Change: Co-developing Pathways To Mitigate And Adapt To A Changing Climate For Fisheries And Aquaculture In Australia
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$1,628,586.00
Summary
There is a need to increase effective engagement between fishing and aquaculture stakeholders and climate science and scientists in an ongoing strategic way, and not ‘just’ for single-project outcomes.
Improved engagement will help increase understanding of the likely implications of a changing climate in relevant contexts, and lay foundations for a shared exploration of available options for reducing risk exposure. We have worked with stakeholders and the FRDC Extension Officer Networ ....There is a need to increase effective engagement between fishing and aquaculture stakeholders and climate science and scientists in an ongoing strategic way, and not ‘just’ for single-project outcomes.
Improved engagement will help increase understanding of the likely implications of a changing climate in relevant contexts, and lay foundations for a shared exploration of available options for reducing risk exposure. We have worked with stakeholders and the FRDC Extension Officer Network to design a strategy that will engage fishing and aquaculture stakeholders on existing knowledge regarding risks and opportunities associated with a changing climate, to enable resource managers and researchers to better understand the ways in which many sectors are already adapting autonomously and to identify the barriers to further adaptation, and to co-design solutions that are relevant at local- and industry-levels to help build climate-ready communities and to stimulate economic resilience.
In many cases (but not all), extensive information regarding marine climate change - including key risks to fisheries and aquaculture producers (at a high level) - is already available, along with information on how to develop adaptation plans. However, despite this, progress and uptake within most sectors in terms of planned adaptation responses has been very slow – although many individual operators are already making ‘autonomous’ changes to their day-to-day operations in response to climate change drivers. If these changes are being made without access to best available knowledge, then it is very likely that substantial portions of these responses are maladaptive in the longer term, or may be countervailing to planned government adaptations (see Pecl et al 2019, Ambio, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13280-019-01186-x). This is a pattern evident within many different industries around Australia and across the rest of the world. ‘What’ needs to happen has thus been outlined in general terms in many cases, but such information is not co-developed or provided in consultation with end-users in ways that resonate or are useful to them. This project will address this need for relevance and usefulness.
The project aims to develop reflexive, ongoing, and two-way knowledge exchange between industry representatives, operators and manager, and the marine climate change impacts and adaptation research sector, so that solutions are co-designed, usable, and adoptable.
Objectives: 1. Work with seafood industry leaders to establish two-way climate conversations that can strengthen and underpin Australian fishing and aquaculture’s resilience to a changing climate. This approach will facilitate co-design of pathways to increase agility and build capacity for climate change adaptation with a select number of fisheries and aquaculture operations. This process will also create a model that can be applicable to other RDC’s. 2. Create a climate conversations platform to facilitate knowledge exchange (including identifying ‘gaps’ and shared issues), and thus capture, disseminate, and showcase:a. How fishing and aquaculture sectors are already adapting and responding to recent changesb. What has facilitated these changes made, and what the barriers are to further adaptationc. The story of fishing and aquaculture’s efforts towards achieving climate resilience - using a dynamic ‘story map’ approach, and other multi-media, communicate progress to target audiences. 3. Identify a) key factors influencing the agility of fisheries and aquaculture to adapt to climate change, and b) which factors (e.g. opportunities) are most important for adaptation capacity-building for different types of operations - building on work underway across multiple domestic and international projects and working groups. 4. Co-develop pathways, with a select number of fisheries and aquaculture operations, to increase their agility and build sector capacity for climate change adaptation and resilience. 5. Support the development of communities of practice for groups of fisheries and/or aquaculture operations that have similar opportunities and pathways – to support increased agility and capacity building for climate change adaptation (determined in objective 3). Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL230100021
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,141,020.00
Summary
Cities as transformative agents for a climate-safe future. This project aims to address how cities can transform towards a climate-safe future- achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 while also enhancing resilience to climate impacts. By reconceptualising cities as transformative agents, this project aims to generate ground-breaking theoretical and empirical knowledge on how cities evolve and transform, how they can network to enhance resilience to climate impacts, and what governance innovations ....Cities as transformative agents for a climate-safe future. This project aims to address how cities can transform towards a climate-safe future- achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 while also enhancing resilience to climate impacts. By reconceptualising cities as transformative agents, this project aims to generate ground-breaking theoretical and empirical knowledge on how cities evolve and transform, how they can network to enhance resilience to climate impacts, and what governance innovations can set them onto accelerated pathways towards a climate-safe future. Aspired outcomes include advanced knowledge, new urban climate policy and practice, and a diverse pool of globally connected, next generation researchers, placing Australia at the forefront of integrative urban science and practice. Read moreRead less
Seaweed Production As A Nutrient Offset For Moreton Bay
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$370,000.00
Summary
Moreton Bay is a 1,500 km-squared urbanised estuary adjacent to one of the fastest growing regions in Australia. Rapid population growth creates a challenge for wastewater utilities to deal with the increase in nutrient loads. This includes the single largest asset of Queensland Urban Utilities (QUU), the Luggage Point Sewage Treatment Plant, at the mouth of the Brisbane River that discharges into the bay. At the same time, on the eastern side of Moreton Bay, the Queensland rock oyster indu .... Moreton Bay is a 1,500 km-squared urbanised estuary adjacent to one of the fastest growing regions in Australia. Rapid population growth creates a challenge for wastewater utilities to deal with the increase in nutrient loads. This includes the single largest asset of Queensland Urban Utilities (QUU), the Luggage Point Sewage Treatment Plant, at the mouth of the Brisbane River that discharges into the bay. At the same time, on the eastern side of Moreton Bay, the Queensland rock oyster industry faces reduced productivity due to environmental change, disease and algal blooms, and challenges associated with the business risks presented by monoculture. Here, communities on Minjerribah (Nth Stradbroke Island) are also investigating new opportunities during their transition away from sand mining, and Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation (QYAC) has Native Title on a large tract of the Moreton Bay Marine Park, which to date is mostly unutilised.
Seaweed production offers a unique and timely solution to address some of the economic, environmental and social challenges in Moreton Bay. Seaweed farming is a “no-feed” form of aquaculture; it is zero waste and compatible with oyster farming and marine park zoning. Seaweeds grow quickly and strip nutrients from the water column, draw down carbon dioxide and can remove pollutants such as heavy metals. At the right scale, seaweed farming will reverse environmental change. Because of this, QUU and the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) are evaluating how much nutrient can be extracted from the bay as an offset for their discharge licences, to avoid substantial capital investment in sewage treatment whilst delivering better environmental outcomes for each dollar spent.
At more than 25 million tonnes per year, seaweed is the largest marine crop in the world. Southeast Queensland is the perfect setting for developing a seaweed industry – ample light, warm water and existing aquaculture leases with farmers, such as Moreton Bay Rock Oysters (MBRO), seeking to diversify their production. Investing in seaweed production will create a new industry for our coastal communities with accountable environmental services and sustainable products.
Objectives: 1. Compare and contrast the nutrient offset and sequestration potential of target seaweeds in controlled experiments 2. Evaluate seaweed production systems using commercially available aquaculture equipment during the scale-up of target seaweeds 3. Determine the yield and properties of harvested seaweed from a year-round pilot production trial at two sites within Moreton Bay 4. Assess the potential effects of seaweed culture on water quality and adjacent marine animals and vegetation 5. Model the removal of nutrients, carbon and other pollutants and the offset capacity of seaweed farming for Moreton Bay Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130100996
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$372,000.00
Summary
Social learning: the diffusion of residential rooftop photovoltaic panels in Australia. Residential photovoltaic (PV) panels provide a sustainable solution to energy supply helping to address the climate change challenge. This project develops novel methodologies to study the diffusion mechanisms of PV panels. The outcomes will be useful for energy industries and the government for the effective formulation of their business strategies and policies.