Climate Change Adaptation

In recognition of the adaptation challenge faced by developing countries, and particularly those in our region, Australia will invest $150 million over three years to meet high priority climate adaptation needs in vulnerable countries. The primary geographic emphasis of the program will be Australia’s neighbouring island countries, but targeted policy and technical assistance will also be available for other countries.

The international climate change adaptation program will proceed on the basis that building the capacity of developing countries to respond effectively to the impacts of climate change is a long-term process requiring sustained international technical support and financial assistance over decades.

The above initiative builds on several existing programs. For example, Australia is working with partners to understand the implications of climate change on 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 supportsactions for sustainable river basin management, particularly in East Asia. 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 Commission. Through the Australia-China Environment Development Program, Australia also supports water resources management in China, developing beneficial partnerships between Australian and Chinese agencies 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 taught to maintain the 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 Australian and other donors to the Strategy.
Small grant schemes in Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa, Tonga and Solomon Islands. These provide funds for community generated 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 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 (3 to 6 months) climate predictions. This support will assist water resource managers to plan for expected rainfall shortages by increasing storage capacity.