It has been a big year in climate by any measure, beginning with the floods in Queensland and Victoria, proceeding through the turbulence of the Carbon Farming Initiative and putting a price on carbon, and concluding with the Durban Climate Change Conference outcome in early December.
I think the Durban outcome is significant. It is an agreement by all nations - including the emergent powers China and India - to negotiate an emissions agreement by 2015 for implementation by 2020. However, this is a very extended horizon to 'begin' emissions reductions, especially in light of the recent report (published in Nature) that after a small reduction in emissions during the global financial crisis, global carbon emissions rose by almost 6% last year. This was the largest rise since these calculations commenced and Europe is still in economic uncertainty!
Clearly the global target of limiting warming to 2°C by 2050 is looking very shaky and the importance of addressing adaptation to climate change is greater and more immediate than ever.
In the land sector - where primary industries predominantly operate - the policy, operational and research agenda has become more complex with a price on carbon. The Securing our Clean Energy Future (i.e. carbon tax) legislation not only put a price on carbon but established an important research, development and extension program: the Carbon Farming Futures program. This integrated $462 million program includes research, development, demonstration, extension and outreach components, and willl be administered by DAFF over the next six years. The initial calls for the research, development and demonstration programs have been made and will close in early February. These programs are targeting mitigation through soil carbon, biochar, methane, nitrous oxide and waste management.
While climate change adaptation in primary industries are not included in this initial call there are ongoing discussions regarding where adaptation may fit in future calls.
As part of the land sector package there is also a $960 million over six years in a Biodiversity Fund, aimed at encouraging storage of carbon in the landscape while enhancing biodiversity. This is an 'action on the ground' package targeted at farmers and other land managers, which has no research component at this stage. Applications to this fund close at the end of January 2012.
These are important initiatives for primary industries, but the questions around how we bring together appropriate and optimal adaptation and mitigation strategies in production systems are ever-present and PIARN looks forward to pursuing these issues in greater detail in the new year.