Making expanded fossil fuel production the core of U.S. energy policy, as proposed by Donald Trump, and backing out of climate agreements would cost the U.S. economy billions and transform the planet.
Many properties are at risk from rising sea levels, with owners and councils at odds over the costs of defending these. NSW law reform may lead to more forward-looking climate change adaptation.
Wil Burns, American University School of International Service
Despite the fanfare of signing the Paris Agreement on climate, little progress has been made on compensating poor countries for irreparable damages from climate change.
Building on local experience and having access to current and expected climate trends is crucial to adapting to climate change for farmers in semi-arid regions.
The Paris agreement has given us some solid targets to aim for in terms of limiting global warming. But that in turn begs a whole range of new scientific questions.
Cuts to CSIRO climate jobs will see a reduction in effort on monitoring and measuring climate change, and an increase in efforts to do something about it. That’s the most politically-sensible option.
We’re going to have to adapt to climate change, but some of the options on the table could do more harm than good if they destroy the ecosystems that protect us.
Hundreds of cities worldwide have pledged to act against climate change. New York City’s experience rebuilding after Hurricane Sandy offers useful lessons about making urban areas more resilient.
The Paris climate summit was historic as a political achievement but it’s not clear how and when the hard problems of emission cuts and climate finance get tackled.
Projects to help people adapt to climate change are essential. But no one really knows how much to spend, or even how to tell which projects are working.
Associate Professor, Department of Environmental and Geographical Science and African Climate and Development Initiative Research Chair, University of Cape Town