practical approaches to tackling climate change.
Climate change is a global issue. All countries must work
together to address it.
Australia works with other countries to deliver innovative
and practical actions on climate change. We help our
partners, particularly in the Indo-Pacific, to reduce
emissions and manage climate impacts, while building
infrastructure, delivering economic growth and improving
the environment. We are a major contributor to
international initiatives like the Green Climate Fund and
the Global Green Growth Institute.
Practical action overseas
Australia has pledged $200 million over four years to the
Green Climate Fund to support developing countries to
grow their economies in a sustainable way and help adapt
to climate change. The Fund will leverage private sector
investment and support a range of emission reduction
and adaptation projects with broader economic and
environmental benefits. Australia will continue to use its seat
on the Board of the Fund to advocate for the interests of
our region.
Australia is supporting developing countries to design and
implement green growth strategies through its $28.3 million
contribution to the Global Green Growth Institute. The
Institute currently has 38 capacity building and advisory
projects across 19 countries, including Fiji, Vanuatu,
Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, China, India, Mexico
and Cambodia.
We are a partner in the Climate and Clean Air Coalition,
which brings together over 100 partners to reduce and
avoid emissions of fast acting pollutants, such as methane
and hydrofluorocarbons.
Building on our efforts to improve resilience of the
Great Barrier Reef through the Reef 2050 Plan, Australia
is supporting other countries through our $13 million
investment in the Coral Triangle Initiative on the
management of coral reefs, fisheries and food security.
Asia-Pacific Rainforest Recovery Plan
In 2014, Australia hosted almost 300 international
policy and technical experts at the first Asia-Pacific
Rainforest Summit. This summit has initiated
collaboration between governments, experts and
businesses to slow loss of the region's forests through
improved monitoring, combating illegal logging,
protecting biodiversity and improving the sustainability
of global supply chains.
Building on the success of the Summit, Australia
is working actively with stakeholders to develop an
Asia-Pacific Rainforest Recovery Plan to progress
regional aspirations for slowing, halting and reversing
rainforest loss. Australia is connecting investors and
donors with countries that need help protecting
their rainforests. We have provided $6 million
in funding for sustainable forest management,
through the Responsible Asia Forestry and Trade
(RAFT) programme.
Building resilience
The impacts of climate change are priority issues for the
Pacific region.
We work closely with Pacific countries and regional
organisations to build resilience to the impacts of climate
change. We have sustained and increased funding to sectors
affected by climate change such as fisheries, as well as
disaster preparedness. Our ongoing investment in climate
science and data services continues to underpin good
planning and hazards management in the Pacific.
Supporting climate and weather
early warning systems in the Pacific
The Australian Government has played a leadership
role in supporting Pacific National Meteorological
Services and regional organisations to deliver climate
and weather early warning systems. Seasonal forecasts
provide advanced warning of unusual conditions that
can have major impacts on governments, businesses
and communities, and provide decision-makers with
information on the likelihood of drought conditions,
changes in water storages and malaria risk. The 2015
El Niño will likely have significant impacts in the
Pacific and so the availability of tools and information
is very timely.
Sharing world-leading expertise
Australia's world-leading expertise is helping developing
countries create mitigation and adaptation policies, and
build systems to measure emissions and monitor outcomes.
We have collaborated over many years with China to share
our experience with emissions measurement and reporting
systems, and to promote clean energy technology.
We work with South Africa and Kenya to build systems to
measure and report the carbon stored in land, vegetation
and soils. Australia is providing $12 million to help the
Kenyan Government to measure and report its emissions
and evaluate land-use scenarios for sustainable development.
Australia is driving innovation through the International
Savanna Fire Management Initiative to share practices
pioneered by Australia's Indigenous people to reduce
emissions from high intensity bush fires.
Australia's work through the Global Forest Observations
Initiative supports developing countries in South America,
Africa and Asia to build capabilities and systems for forest
carbon accounting. This will help them to measure and
report on emissions from rainforests, fundamental to
measuring progress in protecting those ecosystems.
Private sector engagement
Australia supports business and industry to take direct
action to reduce emissions and respond to climate change in
ways that create economic opportunities and jobs.
Through the Low Emissions Capacity Building Program,
Australia supports ten partner countries, including
Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines, to engage the
private sector in initiatives that reduce emissions and
improve productivity.
In Vietnam, we are funding a Climate Innovation
Centre to build the capacity of enterprises to produce
innovative technologies that respond to the challenges and
opportunities of climate change.