%0 Report %D 2013 %T Adapting to climate risks and extreme weather: A guide for mining and minerals industry professionals %A Leah Mason %A Corinne Unger %A Aleta Lederwasch %A Hala Razian %A Laura Wynne %A Damien Giurco %K best-practice %K case-studies %K consultation %K interviews %K mining %K online survey %K preparedness %K synthesis and integrative research %K workshops %X

Whilst mining and mineral professionals have experience with risk management and managing workplace health and safety, changes to patterns of extreme weather events and future climate impacts are unpredictable. Responding to these challenges requires planning and preparation for events that many people have never experienced before. With increasing investor and public concern for the impact of such events, this guide is aimed at assisting a wide range of mining and mineral industry professionals to incorporate planning and management of extreme weather events and impacts from climate change into pre-development, development and construction, mining and processing operations and post-mining phases. 

%I National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility %C Gold Coast %P 76 %@ 978-1-925039-24-5 %G eng %0 Report %D 2013 %T Creating a climate for food security: The businesses, people and landscapes in food production %A Angela Wardell-Johnson %A Nasir Uddin %A Nazrul Islam %A Tanmoy Nath %A Brian Stockwell %A Christine Slade %K ecosystems %K food demand %K mixed-methods approach %K population %K Qld %K Qouth East Queensland %K Queensland %K SEQLD %K South West Western Australia %K strategies %K surveys %K synthesis and integrative research %K systems %K WA %X

This research compared horticulture and dairy production systems showing the importance of including triple-bottom-line values in planning for resilience to climate change in agri-food systems.


Balancing human and environmental needs is urgent where food security and sustainability are under pressure from population increases and changing climates. Requirements of food security, social justice and environmental justice exacerbate the impact of agriculture on the supporting ecological environment. Viability of the Australian rural economy is intrinsically linked to food production and food security requiring systematic evaluation of climate change adaptation strategies for agricultural productivity.

This food-systems research drew on global climate change literature to identify risks and adaptation. The transdisciplinary team applied specialist experience through collaboration in social science, economics and land-management to provide comprehensive methods to engage researchers and decision-makers making decisions across the food-system. Research focus on the dairy and horticulture sectors in the SW-WA and SEQld provided a comparative context in food-systems and regional economies. Expert knowledge was engaged through a series of panel meetings to test and challenge existing practice applying conceptual and empirical approaches in Structural Equation, Value-Chain, Supply-Chain modelling and Analytical Hierarchy modelling. This iterative action-research process provided immediate generation and transfer of expert knowledge across the involved sectors. The scenarios and adaptive strategies provide evidence-based pathways to strengthen food-systems; account for climate change mitigation and adaptation; and weather-proof regional economies in the face of climate change. 

The triple-bottom-line provided a comprehensive means of addressing social, economic and ecological requirements, and the modelling showed the interacting dynamics between these dimensions. In response to climate change, the agricultural sector must now optimise practices to address the interaction between economic, social and environmental investment. Differences in positions between the industry sector, the government and research sectors demonstrate the need for closer relationships between industry and government if climate change interventions are to be effectively targeted. 

Modelling shows that capacity for adaptation has a significant bearing on the success of implementing intervention strategies. Without intervention strategies to build viability and support, farm businesses are more likely to fail as a consequence of climate change. A framework of capitals that includes social components - cultural, human and social capital-, economic components -economic and physical capital - and ecological components -ecological and environmental capital - should be applied to address capacities. 

A priority assessment of climate change intervention strategies shows that strategies categorised as ‘Technology & Extension’ are most important in minimising risk from climate change impacts. To implement interventions to achieve ‘Food Business Resilience’, ‘Business Development’ strategies and alternative business models are most effective. ‘Research and Development’ interventions are essential to achieve enhanced ‘Adaptive Capacity’.

The individual components of TBL Adaptive Capacity can be achieved through ‘Policy and Governance’ interventions for building ‘Social Capital’ capacity, ‘Research and Development’ will develop ‘Economic Capital’, and ‘Business Development’ strategies will build ‘Ecological Capital’.

These strategic interventions will promote food security and maintain resilience in local food systems, agricultural production communities and markets, global industrial systems, and developing world food systems. Climate change mitigation and adaptation interventions reflect a rich conceptualisation drawing from the Australian context, but also acknowledging the moral context of global association.

%I National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility %C Gold Coast %P 142 %8 06/2013 %@ 978-1-925039-21-4 %G eng %0 Report %D 2013 %T What about me? Factors affecting individual adaptive coping capacity across different populations %A Kerrie L Unsworth %A Sally V. Russell %A Stephen Lewandowsky %A Carmen Lawrence %A Kelly S. Fielding %A Jon Heath %A Alice Evans %A Mark J. Hurlstone %A Ilona McNeill %K adaptive behaviour %K adaptive capacity %K Australia %K individual-level adaptation %K interviews %K Perth %K psychological drivers %K Qld %K Queensland %K SEID %K Social Economic and Institutional Dimensions %K surveys %K WA %K Western Australia %X

This study examines psychological drivers of individual-level adaptation and developed a Coping with Climate Change tool with implications for the communication of climate change adaptation policies.


When and why will people adapt to climate change? We conducted a number of studies examining the psychological drivers of individual adaptation to climate change across different populations. We used a variety of methodologies including interviews, surveys, survey experiments and face-to-face experiments. There was a high level of rigour involved in each of these methodologies which means that we can believe in the results. This programme of research represents one of the largest and most integrated attempts to understand some of the psychological drivers of individual-level adaptation.

First, we used the most recent advances in the psychological literature of coping more generally to develop a valid scale to measure coping with climate change. Across three studies we found that our tool was both reliable and valid, providing an accurate measure of the different ways in which people cope with climate change. This tool can now be used to understand the effects of both adaptive and maladaptive coping and to understand what leads to these different ways of coping.

Next, we examined adaptive capacity. We found that adaptive coping strategies were associated with perceiving climate change as a threat to oneself and one’s way of life, rating environmental goals as important, and believing that adaptive behaviours could help achieve significant personal goals. Furthermore, when looking at societal adaptive capacity (support for governmental policies) we found that not only were a threat appraisal, climate change or environmental goal, and goal connectedness related to support, but also political affiliation, perceived human contribution to climate change, (lack of) denying that climate change exists, and a number of emotions (enthusiasm, worry, (lack of) happiness, and (lack of ) embarrassment). By knowing these factors that lead to adaptive coping and support for adaptive policies we can identify strategies to improve individual adaptive capacity.

Third, based on a range of psychological literature, we hypothesised that adaptive behaviour would be related to goals, goal connectedness, adaptive coping, beliefs about climate change (including denial), and emotions that create an uneasy state of activation (enthusiasm and hope combined with worry). We found support for each of these relationships. Thus, we can again identify strategies to increase adaptive climate change behaviour. 

Across the studies, we found that adaptive capacity and adaptive behaviours relied upon both “green” beliefs and goals and “non-green” beliefs and goals. Moreover, believing that the adaptive behaviours helped a person to achieve their goals (whether they were related to climate change or not) was strongly related to adaptive capacity and behaviour. We have therefore shown that we can improve adaptation not only in those people who want to help the environment but also in those who are less interested.

Unfortunately, the goal structure of environmental goals appears difficult to change. However, making people think about politics did have an effect: Regardless of their own political orientation, a person’s belief about the degree of human contribution to climate change decreased when they were thinking about politics (compared to not thinking about politics). This has implications for how climate change adaptation is discussed in the media and by researchers.

The results of our research also have implications for the communication of climate change adaptation policies. Our results show that framing the costs of reducing CO2 emissions in terms of a decrease in future gain—rather than as an opportunity-cost—renders people more willing to commit to climate change initiatives.

In summary, this programme of research has taken an integrated and rigorous step towards greater understanding of some of the psychological drivers of individual adaptation to climate change. Given the complexity of the problem, more research is needed, however we believe that our research provides a good early step in this direction.

%I National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility %C Gold Coast %P 149 %8 05/2013 %@ 978-1-925039-43-6 %G eng