Skip to main content Skip to main navigation Skip to search

Queensland and NSW floods 2022

Visit recovery.gov.au to see what help is available.

Close
Home

Top navigation main

  • News & media
  • Jobs
  • Ministers
  • Contact us
Main menu

AWE Main

  • Climate change
    Climate change Driving climate action, science and innovation so we are ready for the future.
    • Climate science and adaptation
    • Australia's climate change strategies
    • Emissions reduction
    • Emissions reporting
    • International commitments
    • Climate Active
    • Climate change publications and data
    • Australian Greenhouse Emissions Information System (AGEIS)
    Stronger action on climate change

    Stronger action on climate change

    See how the Australian Government is committed to taking more ambitious action on climate change.

    Find out more

  • Energy
    Energy Building a secure and sustainable energy system for all Australians.
    • Energy policy in Australia
    • Energy ministers
    • Renewable energy
    • Energy publications
    • energy.gov.au
    • Energy Rating
    • Commercial Building Disclosure Program
    • Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS)
    • Your Home
    Save on your winter energy bills

    Save on your winter energy bills

    Making energy-smart choices can reduce winter’s impact on your wallet.

    Find out more

  • Environment
    Environment Improving stewardship and sustainable management of Australia’s environment.
    • Bushfire recovery
    • Climate change and the environment
    • Biodiversity
    • EPBC Act
    • Environmental information and data
    • International activities
    • Invasive species
    • Land
    • Marine
    • Partnerships
    • Protection
    • Report a breach of environment law
    • Threatened species & ecological communities
    • Waste and recycling
    • Wildlife trade
    Waste exports

    New waste plastic export regulations

    The Australian Government works to reduce waste plastics and turn that waste into valuable products.

    Find out more

  • Water
    Water Improving the sustainable management of Australia’s water supply for industry, the environment and communities.
    • Coal, Coal seam gas (CSG) and water
    • Commonwealth Environmental Water Office
    • Water policy and resources
    • Wetlands
    Water matters

    Water Matters

    Keep up with the latest news on the department's work in managing Australia's water resources.

    Read the latest edition here

  • Parks and heritage
    Parks and heritage Managing Australia’s iconic national parks, historic places and living landscapes.
    • Australian Marine Parks
    • Australian National Botanic Gardens
    • Booderee National Park
    • Kakadu National Park
    • Christmas Island National Park
    • National parks
    • Norfolk Island National Park
    • Heritage
    • Pulu Keeling National Park
    • The Great Barrier Reef
    • Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park
    The reef

    Great Barrier Reef

    Australia is protecting and conserving this World Heritage Area.

    Find out more

  • Science and research
    Science and research Undertaking research and collecting data to support informed decisions and policies.
    • Climate change
    • Australia's biological resources
    • National Environmental Science Program (NESP)
    • Our science strategy
    • Australian Biological Resource Study (ABRS)
    • State of the Environment (SoE) reporting
    • Bird and bat banding
    • Supervising Scientist
    Our climate is changing

    Our climate is changing

    Find out more about how climate science helps Australians with the impacts of climate change.

    Find out more

  • About us
    About us We lead Australia’s response to climate change and sustainable energy use, and protect our environment, heritage and water.
    • Accountability and reporting
    • Assistance, grants and tenders
    • Contact us
    • Fees and charges
    • News and media
    • Our commitment to you
    • People and jobs
    • Publications
    • What we do
    • Who we are
    Our department has changed

    Our department has changed

    Learn more about our roles and responsibilities.

    Find out more

  • Online services
    Online services We do business with you using online platforms. This makes it easier for you to meet your legal requirements.
Department of Climate Change, Energy, Enviroment and Water

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Climate change
  3. Climate change policy
  4. Climate adaptation in Australia

Sidebar first - EN - Climate change

  • Climate change
    • Climate change policy
      • Adapting to climate change
        • National Climate Resilience and Adaptation Strategy
          • Adaptation across domains
        • Adapting Australia's unique environment to climate change
        • Publications and resources
      • Climate science
        • Understanding climate change
        • Future climate change
      • Environment and climate change
      • Oceans and climate change
        • Coastal Blue Carbon Ecosystems
          • Blue Carbon Conservation, Restoration and Accounting Program
            • Blue Carbon Ecosystem Restoration Grants
            • Blue Carbon Accelerator Fund
          • International Partnership for Blue Carbon
      • Nature-based solutions for climate
        • Financing Solutions for Nature
      • Climate services and tools
      • International adaptation

Climate adaptation in Australia

The Australian Government has developed a new National Climate Resilience and Adaptation Strategy – positioning Australia to better anticipate, manage and adapt to our changing climate. The Australian Government’s National Adaptation Policy Office (NAPO) oversees implementation of this Strategy.

Read more about the National Climate Resilience and Adaptation Strategy.

Adapting to climate change is adjusting to current or expected climate change and its effects. Adaptation helps individuals, communities, organisations and natural systems to manage the impacts of climate change. It involves taking practical actions to adjust to the changing climate which protect and build our resilience.

Australia is already experiencing the effects of a changing climate. These changes will continue for decades to come, even with the most ambitious global emissions reductions.

The National Adaptation Policy Office works to ensure Australia can better anticipate, manage and adapt to climate change

Australia is also supporting our region to increase its adaptive capacity and build resilience.

Australia’s adaptation action is underpinned by science. We actively support climate science programs and ensure information is applied in resilience building and adaptation initiatives.

National Climate Resilience and Adaptation Strategy

The new National Climate Resilience and Adaptation Strategy provides a path towards a climate resilient Australia. The strategy sets out what the Australian Government will do to support efforts across all levels of government, businesses and the community, to better anticipate, manage and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

The new strategy has been informed by engagement across all levels of government, key stakeholders in industry and academia, and community groups.

We will continue to work with stakeholders across Australia to implement the new strategy to strengthen partnerships, support investment and deliver local results.

The new strategy will continue to guide the ambitious action we are already taking and inform future priorities.

National Adaptation Policy Office

The National Adaptation Policy Office has been established in the department to oversee implementation of the strategy, coordinate work on climate resilience and adaptation across all governments, and provide a central point of contact and information for businesses and communities.

The National Adaptation Policy Office works with stakeholders across Australia to implement the new strategy and ensure our actions complement and reinforce each other.

Email Enquiries

To contact the National Adaptation Policy Office please email climate.adaptation@environment.gov.au

Please include what you are inquiring about in the subject line.

Media Contact

For all media enquiries, please contact the department's media team:

Phone: +61 2 6275 9880

Email: media@environment.gov.au

Roles and responsibilities

We all have a role to play in adapting to our changing climate. Governments, businesses, communities and households each have different but complementary roles.

The Roles and Responsibilities for Climate Change Adaptation in Australia were agreed by the then Council of Australian Governments’ (COAG’s) Select Council on Climate Change in 2012.

These roles and responsibilities for different levels of government are broadly set out below.

Australian Government

  • Provide leadership on national adaptation reform.
  • Manage Australian Government assets and programs.
  • Provides national science and information.
  • Maintains a strong, flexible economy and a well-targeted social safety net.

State and territory governments

  • Deliver adaptation responses in their areas of policy and regulation. This includes service delivery and infrastructure. For example, emergency services, health system, the natural environment, planning and transport.
  • Provide regionally appropriate information.

Local governments

  • Ensure local circumstances are considered in the overall adaptation response.
  • Ensure local communities are directly involved in efforts to facilitate effective change.
  • Play a central role in land-use planning and managing local roads.
  • Inform other levels of government about the on-the-ground needs of local and regional communities.

National coordination mechanisms

Environment Ministers Meeting

The Environment Ministers Meeting (EMM) is an intergovernmental forum:

  • where national environmental issues are progressed
  • to discuss strategic issues and agree cross-government actions to improve Australia’s environment.
  • Climate adaptation and resilience is one of the 3 standing items on the agenda.

Interjurisdictional Climate Change Adaptation Working Group

We chair the Interjurisdictional Climate Change Adaptation Working Group (AWG). The AWG is comprised of representatives from each Australian jurisdiction and the Australian Local Government Association.

Australian Government Disaster and Climate Resilience Reference Group

We co-chair the Australian Government Disaster and Climate Resilience Reference Group with the National Recovery and Resilience Agency. The group comprises senior officials from 22 agencies across the Australian Government. It considers risks and challenges arising from climate change and natural disasters.

Established in 2015, the group drives a whole-of-government approach to disaster and climate resilience, risk reduction and adaptation.

The group:

  • leads implementing a whole-of-government approach to disaster and climate resilience.
  • integrates and embeds disaster and climate considerations into planning, policies, programs, asset management and risk management frameworks of Australian Government agencies.
  • provides strategic guidance on implementation of whole-of-government initiatives on disaster and climate resilience.

State and territory climate action

Our national approach to climate adaptation action is informed and guided by the work of the states and territories. All state and territory governments have developed climate change adaptation strategies.

  • NSW Climate Change Policy Framework
  • Victoria's Climate Change Strategy
  • Queensland Climate Action Plan that includes the Queensland Climate Adaptation Strategy 2017-2030
  • South Australian Government Climate Change Action Plan 2021-2025
  • Western Australian Climate Policy
  • Tasmania's Climate Change Action Plan 2017-2021
  • Northern Territory Climate Change Response: Towards 2050
  • ACT Climate Change Strategy 2019-25

Read more

  • National Climate Resilience and Adaptation Strategy
  • Climate change science
  • Our climate services and tools
  • Nature-based solutions for climate
  • Our environment climate change initiatives
  • Our agricultural climate change initiatives
  • Our oceans climate change initiatives
  • Emissions reduction
  • International climate adaptation
  • Our publications and resources
Thanks for your feedback.
Thanks! Your feedback has been submitted.

We aren't able to respond to your individual comments or questions.
To contact us directly phone us or submit an online inquiry

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Please verify that you are not a robot.

Skip

Footer

  • Contact us
  • Accessibility
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • FOI
Last updated: 22 February 2022

© Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.