Climate change adaptation

In recognition of the adaptation challenges faced by developing countries, and particularly those in our region, Australia invested $150 million over three years from 2008–09 to meet high priority climate adaptation needs in vulnerable countries. This assistance will be scaled up by $178.2 million over two years to 2012–13—a total of $328.2 million—to help the most vulnerable countries adapt to the impacts of climate change. The primary geographic emphasis of the program is on Australia's neighbouring island countries, but targeted policy and technical assistance is also being made available for other countries in Asia, the Pacific and, most recently, the Caribbean and Africa.

The International Climate Change Adaptation Initiative is working closely with partner countries to enhance the level of understanding of climate change impacts, build capacity to effectively plan and implement adaptation strategies and to implement priority adaptation actions.

The International Climate Change Adaptation Initiative builds on existing programs, including ongoing monitoring and adaptation activities in the Pacific and Mekong regions.

For example, Australia is working with partners to understand the implications of climate change for the Mekong River's resources and to develop adaptation options. This work will be supplemented by CSIRO inputs through an AusAID–CSIRO Research Alliance, ensuring cutting edge scientific research helps inform policy decisions on water resources management in the Mekong Basin.

Australia also supports actions for sustainable river basin management, particularly in East Asia, through other programs. Over a number of years, Australia has helped to strengthen the capacity of the Mekong River Commission to better manage the resources of the Mekong River Basin, for example, by supporting expert inputs from the Murray Darling Basin Authority. Through the Australia–China Environment Development Program, Australia supports water resources management in China, developing beneficial partnerships to improve river management.

Strong support is also provided for climate change adaptation through improved water resource management in the Pacific. Examples include:

support for the Government of Tuvalu's Water and Sanitation Strategy and the construction of about 300 large rainwater tanks in the capital, Funafuti. Households are instructed in the maintenance of roof catchment and guttering and the management of the collected water for domestic use. Australia also provides a highly qualified water engineer, who will help Tuvalu maximise the impact of both Australia's and other donors' aid to the strategy.
small grant schemes in Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa, Tonga and Solomon Islands. These provide funds for community–initiated climate change adaptation projects. In Tonga, Samoa and Vanuatu, communities have increased their water storage capacity by constructing rainwater tanks. On the drought prone island of Aniwa in Vanuatu, communities have built small solar desalination stills capable of producing enough fresh water for drinking.

Through the ongoing Pacific Islands Climate Prediction Project, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology is working with climate–dependent industries and government agencies in ten Pacific countries on tailored long–range (three to six months) climate predictions. This support will assist water resource managers to plan for expected rainfall shortages by increasing storage capacity.