Regardless of future efforts to reduce emissions, the level of greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere means that some climate change impacts cannot be avoided. All countries will experience impacts in coming decades.
Potential impacts as a result of climate change include:
- more severe weather events, such as storm surges, flooding and coastal erosion that threaten coastal settlements and the supporting transportation, water and sanitation infrastructure
- severe economic impacts, including reduced income from agricultural exports, tourism and fisheries
- threats to human health from the spread of disease and temperature increases— heat related deaths in Australia could increase by 5000 a year by 2050
- water security challenges faced by countries with a dependency on rainfall, or at risk of saltwater intrusion and rising water demands—by 2020 up to 250 million people in Africa could be exposed to climate change induced water shortages
- threats to food security—rain-fed agriculture yields may drop by 50 per cent in some African countries in the next decade
- in the longer term, sea-level rise—by 2050 rising sea-levels could directly affect more than 1 million people in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna delta in Bangladesh, the Mekong delta in Vietnam and the Nile delta in Egypt.
Developed countries have a responsibility to assist the most vulnerable developing countries with the least capacity to adapt to climate change. Increasing international support for adaptation in these countries is a key Australian objective for the new global agreement on climate change.
Climate change impacts are felt locally, but they can affect all areas of a country’s economy and society. A crucial challenge for the UNFCCC negotiations is to make sure that international adaptation support is provided in a way that respects the unique needs of different localities and sectors. A prescriptive, top-down approach will not work.
The decisions the world makes today about infrastructure, health, water management, agriculture, biodiversity and housing will have lasting consequences. We must therefore begin planning now for the impacts of climate change in the future.
As our awareness of climate change impacts continues to improve, so does our level of expertise and capacity to manage them. Many institutions working in adaptation-related fields, such as health, poverty alleviation, agriculture and economic development, have a high level of specific expertise and local knowledge.
To help harness this expertise, the UNFCCC can play a crucial role as a catalyst for adaptation action at the national and local levels. For example, through linking adaptation support bodies and expertise, guiding assistance, or by facilitating the sharing of technical knowledge, information and best practice approaches to assist decision makers at all levels.
In addition to enhanced adaptation action through the UNFCCC, there will continue to be a clear role for bilateral and regional or small group initiatives, including through overseas development assistance programs. The International Climate Change Adaptation Initiative is an important example of how Australia is responding to high priority adaptation needs within our region.
More information can be found in Australia’s submissions on enhanced action on adaptation made to the UNFCCC:
