No specific insurance focus in big climate study

Email Print

29 June 2009

Researchers setting up a major three-year climate change study in south-east Queensland don’t expect to use much data from insurance companies to reach their conclusions.

The new $14 million study will focus on ways the region can respond to the impacts of climate change.

Funded with federal and state government money, it will bring together researchers from the CSIRO Climate Adaptation Flagship, Griffith University, the University of the Sunshine Coast and the University of Queensland.

Project manager Ryan McAllister of CSIRO says insurance industry representatives could participate in finance sector workshops in which information is shared with researchers.

“Part of the reason why we don’t have insurance in there explicitly is merely that we want to work pretty closely with stakeholders, and obviously a lot of the insurance agencies are quite guarded about their data and so forth,” he told insuranceNEWS.com.au.

“It’s hard to do research explicitly on it, but we’re certainly interested.”

The study is being hailed as Australia’s first comprehensive regional study of climate change adaptation.

It will develop new, local-scale climate change projections and vulnerability assessments to help prepare for the impact of altered rainfall patterns, increased temperatures and extreme weather on its property infrastructure, unique ecosystems and primary industries.

Dr McAllister says case studies are being considered for a canal estate, probably on the Sunshine Coast, and a new suburb west of Brisbane.

The study will look at retrofitting for vulnerable areas and integrated planning changes to support it. Findings are to be reported progressively, with results being made available through workshops.