From the website of the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF), 6 April 2011:
Australia’s climate adaptation champions recognised
A Queensland farmer, a Tasmanian journalist and a council planner from mid-coast NSW have been named among NCCARF’s first Climate Adaptation Champions.
The new NCCARF Adaptation Champions program highlights the actions and achievements of individuals, groups, communities and organisations that are demonstrating leadership and innovation in adapting to, and preparing for, the impacts of climate change. It is coordinated by the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility.
NCCARF Director Professor Jean Palutikof said the Adaptation Champions program recognised people and groups who are showing leadership and taking concrete steps to change behaviour, techniques, businesses practices and policies to adapt to an uncertain future.
“Late last year we issued a call through the thousands of members in our networks of climate change adaptation researchers and practitioners in every Australian state and territory,” she said. “We invited them to nominate people and organisations that are already implementing creative, practical, grassroots actions to adapt their businesses or communities to climate change.”
Professor Palutikof said NCCARF had cast the net very wide. “Nominees could be people and groups of all ages, backgrounds and industries.” “We were delighted with the breadth and diversity of the nominations. We received more than 40 submissions, with nominees including farmers, architects and planners, local councils, community groups, businesses, journalists, researchers, government departments and agencies, among many others.”
The Adaptation Champions were selected by the NCCARF Management Committee, which comprises 10 leading Australian climate change adaptation researchers and policy makers.
“This demonstrates the awareness among the wider Australian public about the threat climate change poses, and the urgency of implementing practical adaptation measures. These winners are evidence that individuals at all levels of the community are getting on with the job of adapting to climate change,” Professor Palutikof said.
The NCCARF Adaptation Champions were announced at the NCCARF Climate Adaptation Conference, held in Cairns on April 6 in conjunction with Greenhouse 2011.
Winners
Individual Category
• Sid Plant — Farmer, Darling Downs, Qld
• Norm Lenehan — Coastal & Flood Management Planner, Eurobodalla Shire Council, NSW
• Peter Boyer — Journalist, blogger and speaker-presenter, Hobart, Tas
Organisational Category
• Lake Macquarie City Council, NSW
• City of Melbourne, Vic
• Climate Champion Initiative (A program of Managing Climate Variability and Grains Research Development Corporation)
Finalists
Individual Category
• Allen Kearns – CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences
• Steve Wilson – Hunter and Central Coast Councils NSW (for the Hunter and Central Coast Regional Environmental Management Strategy)
• Rachel Brown – Macquarie Franklin, Tas
• Melanie Bainbridge – Western Australia Local Government Association, WA (for the Adaptation Toolkit)
Organisational Category
• Farm Services Victoria, Vic (for ‘Climate Dogs’)
• Townsville City Council, QLD (for ‘Identifying Sustainability Behaviours’)
• Ku-ring-gai Municipal Council, NSW
• Port L.O.C.A.L.S (Local Organisations & Communities Actioning & Leading Sustainability) Port Kembla, NSW
• Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (for the Great Barrier Reef Climate Change Action Plan)
• Great Barrier Reef Foundation (for its research portfolio)
• Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council (EMRC), WA for ‘Future proofing Perth’s Eastern Region – Adapting to Climate Change’
• Zurich Insurance (for training insurance brokers to help SMEs adapt)
• Australian Council of Social Service (for training community welfare sector professionals in climate change risks and adaptation)
Click here for full winners’ bios.
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From the Tasmanian Government media office, Friday, 8 April 2011:
Nick McKim, MP, Minister for Climate Change
Peter Boyer named Climate Adaptation Champion
The Minister for Climate Change, Nick McKim, today congratulated Tasmanian journalist Peter Boyer on being named among the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility’s (NCCARF) first Climate Adaptation Champions.
Mr McKim said that he was pleased to see the new NCCARF Adaptation Champions program highlight the actions and achievements of individuals, groups, communities and organisations that are demonstrating leadership and innovation in adapting to, and preparing for, the impacts of climate change.
“Climate Change is the major policy problem of our times, and along with actions to mitigate carbon emissions we must learn to adapt to the impacts that already have and will occur,” Mr McKim said.
“We need to show leadership and take concrete steps to change behaviour, use new technologies, and alter business practices and policies to enable us to adapt to an uncertain future.
“I understand that nominations for the awards were sought from networks of climate change adaptation researchers and practitioners in every Australian state and territory.
“This is a highly prestigious award, and congratulations must go to Tasmanian Peter Boyer for becoming one of three individuals to be named a Climate Adaptation Champion.”
Peter Boyer is a freelance writer specialising in climate science who has written a weekly column, Climate Challenge, for The Mercury since September 2007, and has been a member of Al Gore’s Australian Climate Project team of volunteer presenters since November 2006, which has involved speaking to more than 8000 Tasmanians in over 200 groups.
More information can be found at the NCCARF website.