Dr Peter Tangney and Associate Professor Cassandra Star from the Climate and Sustainability Policy Research (CASPR) group recently facilitated the “National security and the impacts of climate change” event that saw a range of experts come together to discuss how climate change and national security intertwine.
The panel, including experts from Defence, University of Adelaide and University of South Australia discussed the key characteristics of an effective approach to climate adaptation and security, what resources would be required for a nationally coordinated response, and which international partnerships should the Australian Government seek out to enhance climate resilience for national security.
The event is related to the “Developing a multilevel governance network map to enhance emergency preparation and disaster prevention in South Australia” project that CASPR are working on in conjunction with the federal Department of Defence, and with South Australian stakeholders including Department of Premier & Cabinet, and Department for Environment & Water. The project is intended to optimise the defence forces’ contribution to state disaster prevention and emergency response.
Associate Professor Star says that the opportunity to collaborate with experts in a range of fields is what will continue to drive the project.
“By getting all these people in a room together, we’re able to create networks between researchers and practitioners from different disciplines to share their knowledge and their skills, in the hope of fostering a community of interest to inform this research into the future”.
The initial project, led by Dr Tangney with Associate Professor Star and Associate Professor Beverley Clarke, will review and contextualise the findings of the recent Royal and Independent Commissions of Inquiry that investigated the Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20 and identify key contributors in federal, state and local government. The project outcomes will inform ongoing collaboration between Defence and SA and local government stakeholders in responding to future domestic natural disasters.