The Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Greg Combet, today announced $2.6 million in grants for priority research into the social, economic and institutional dimensions of climate change across Australia.

The research projects funded under the Climate Change Adaptation Research Grants program will explore adaptation measures to prepare people and institutions from the unavoidable impacts of climate change.

“Climate change will have a range of affects on our society, economy and institutions including rising temperatures, sea level rise and increasing rates of extreme weather events,” Mr Combet said.

“Some of these research projects will focus on disadvantaged groups in society providing government with the information needed to assist these groups in preparing for future climate change.”

The funding will support nine research projects investigating the impacts of climate change and practical adaptation options to support the community, as well as public and private institutions.

The University of Adelaide, for example, will receive $250,000 to investigate the vulnerability and adaptive capacity of disadvantaged groups in society to assist in enhancing their resilience. 

The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies will use a $440,000 grant to assist native title bodies develop best practice approaches to climate change and support communities to adapt on native title lands. 

A $200,000 grant will support Sydney University’s work on preventing heat-related premature deaths in aged care facilities.

“Some of this country’s best academic and research facilities have joined the Government to examine the information needed to prepare and protect people and institutions from the affects of climate change,” Mr Combet said.

This round of nine projects under the social, economic and institutional dimensions theme represents some of the Government’s highest priority areas of research into adaptation. The research will be managed by the National Climate Change Adaptation Research.

For more information on these research projects visit the NCCARF website at: http://www.nccarf.edu.au

Summary of Social, Economic and Institutional Dimensions projects

• Extreme heat and climate change: adaptation in culturally and linguistically diverse communities, University of Adelaide.
• What about me? Factors affecting individual adaptive coping capacity across different population groups, University of Western Australia.
• Impact of climate change on disadvantaged groups: issues and interventions, University of Adelaide.
• The legal, institutional and cultural barriers to adaptation to sea-level rise in Australia, University of Melbourne.
• Changes to country and culture, changes to climate: strengthening institutions for Indigenous resilience and adaptation, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS).
• Heat ready: adapting aged care facilities to prevent premature death in elderly Australians, University of Sydney.
• Developing adaptively; the role and capacities of private sector development institutions in urban climate change adaptation, Griffith University.
• Every state for themselves? Learning from cross-border regulatory instruments to support and promote climate change adaptation in Australia, Griffith University.
• An assessment of Australia’s existing statutory framework, associated institutions, and policy processes: do they support or impede national adaptation planning and practice, Australian National University.