The Role of Science in Adapting to Climate Change: the Australian Experience so far

Climate is a defining factor that has shaped the Australia of today. We are a people of a land of droughts and flooding rains and are consequently sensitized to climate variability. There is now growing evidence that the Australian climate is not only variable but changing, with recorded increases in temperature, changes in rainfall, and alterations in extreme events, and that there is a human ‘fingerprint’ in these changes. Furthermore, these changes are well aligned with future projections of climate, providing additional confidence that the ongoing climate change will need to be managed by Australian agriculture. Australian science is realigning to these challenges, implementing structural change and working with industry and policymakers to develop a range of adaptation technologies and strategies.