Climate change strategies and information

The Council of Australian Governments and the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council are focusing on climate change and its potential economic impacts. The National Agriculture and Climate Change Action Plan is an agreement by Australian governments to develop a coordinated framework for climate change policy in agriculture. It provides practical tools to develop effective and efficient policies to deal with climate change challenges.

The plan aims to raise awareness about climate change issues among primary producers and rural communities and will provide a strategic framework for primary producers when decision-making and business planning. Four key areas identified for climate change management are:

• adaptation strategies to build resilience into production systems
• mitigation strategies to reduce or offset greenhouse gas emissions
• research and development strategies to enhance the agricultural and forestry sectors capacity to respond to climate change
• awareness and communication strategies to inform decision making by primary producers and rural communities