Tasmanian Government Media Release - 5 June 2009
The Minister for Primary Industries and Water, David Llewellyn, today opened the Climate Change Forum at the University of Tasmania.
Tasmania is particularly exposed to the effects of climate change because of its long coastline relative to land mass; and the importance of fishing, forestry, agriculture, hydro‑electric energy generation and tourism to the Tasmanian economy. The State's biodiversity values are more at risk than is the case in many other regions of Australia because, quite simply, plants and animals in our alpine and sub-alpine areas, and in areas like the Bruny and Davey Marine Bioregions, have nowhere else to go if air and sea temperatures rise too much. And with changing temperatures and rainfall patterns, Tasmania is at ever-increasing risk from the spread of new weeds, pests and diseases; threatening our primary industries, our waterways and our environment.
Climate change also presents Tasmania with social, economic and environmental opportunities, such as
- Opportunities to develop additional renewable energy resources and export both Tasmania's renewable energy and its renewable energy expertise;
- Opportunities to capitalise on Tasmania's carbon sequestration management expertise; and
- Opportunities to grow new crops, as some current crops become unsuitable for cultivation in Tasmania and others become unsuitable for cultivation in other regions of Australia.
There are also significant scientific opportunities open to Tasmania in relation to the causes, effects and nature of many features of climate change, particularly in relation to agriculture and fisheries. In fact, nationally (and internationally) significant research is already being undertaken in Tasmania. For example, the Integrated Marine Observing System and the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility's Marine Biodiversity & Resources network are both run from within the University of Tasmania. And the presence of organisations like the CSIRO, the Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre, the Australian Antarctic Division, the Bureau of Meteorology, the Tasmanian Institute for Agricultural Research and the Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute, means that Tasmania has both the expertise and the capacity to make a significant contribution to Australia's response to climate change.
The Climate Futures Project will also provide insights into the risks involved in planning, designing and operating significant infrastructure in Tasmania. The Project is working with the Tasmanian Sustainable Yields Project, which is developing projections of the likely supply and demand for water until 2030.
A Climate Change and Coastal Risk Management Project has been undertaken to look at the risks that storm surge and sea-level rise pose to infrastructure, natural values and assets in low-lying coastal areas.