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The co-benefits of climate adaptation

Every dollar invested in climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction saves between $2 and $10 in recovery costs – proof that proactive solutions pay dividends for people, planet and prosperity. 

We have a great opportunity to be thinking about co-benefits as we're making the transition to net zero, and doing so in a way that also assists us with the great challenges of adaptation.

Dr Paul Grimes PSM, Chair, Net Zero Commission NSW 

Driving adaptation efforts in New South Wales is the newly established Net Zero Commission, established in December 2023 under the Climate Change (Net Zero Future) Act 2023.  

Dr Paul Grimes PSM was appointed Chair of the Commission in July 2024, alongside seven commissioners with diverse backgrounds spanning climate science, economics, engineering and Indigenous and rural community engagement.  

Two of those commissioners – Oliver Costello and Meg McDonald – joined Dr Grimes at the AdaptNSW 2024 Forum for a session where discussion about climate adaptation co-benefits took centre stage.

NSW is already grappling with the tangible impacts of climate change, from intensifying heatwaves to more severe rainfall and flooding. While mitigation addresses the root cause of climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, adaptation focuses on reducing vulnerabilities and preparing for inevitable changes.  

Proactive adaptation measures – like designing heat-resilient cities and implementing water-saving technologies – are critical to protecting communities and ecosystems, the AdaptNSW Forum audience heard.

Adaptation expands opportunities for Australia to innovate, but the “community is obviously quite apprehensive” about the net zero transition, Dr Grimes reflected. Our opportunity is to articulate the co-benefits of climate action. 

Close view of 4 panel speakers
Net Zero Commission speaks at AdaptNSW 2024 Forum

Co-benefits: More than a by-product

The term ‘co-benefits’ itself may not be well understood by the Australian community, the panel conceded. But ‘co-benefits’ are more than a side effects of adaptation; they add extra value that amplify the case for taking climate action.

Meg McDonald, a Trustee for the Nature Conservancy, pointed to the co-benefits of nature-based solutions such as the Wagonga Inlet Living Shoreline project. This self-sustaining oyster reef is designed to protect the coastline, enhancing its resilience to storms and rising sea levels, while simultaneously improving water quality and boosting biodiversity.  

The work at Wagonga Inlet is “not just a conservation measure or an adaptation measure,” Meg said, noting its additional role in supporting fish production and enriching the ecosystem had attracted new pools of funding and different stakeholder groups.

Similarly, work to expand Sydney’s blue-green grid by integrating vegetation and water systems into urban infrastructure delivers broad co-benefits, Meg added. Cooling down our suburbs through blue and green infrastructure will improve the walkability of streets, enhance recreation opportunities and strengthen social capital. “Building a more robust blue-green grid will also be very good for biodiversity,” Meg said. “Everybody wins.” 

Learning from Country in a changing climate  

We've got plenty of old stories that teach us about landscape change and adaption. We need new stories as well.

Oliver Costello, Executive Director, Jagun Alliance Aboriginal Corporation 

Cultural burning also demonstrates how climate adaptation can deliver co-benefits by strengthening resilience and fostering deeper connections between people, land and culture.

Cultural burning, also known as fire-stick farming or cool burning, is a practice used by Indigenous Australians for more than 60,000 years.  

While cultural burning can help reduce the intensity of bushfires over time, it does more than minimise fire risk, explained Oliver Costello. “I have seen the power of cultural fire to help people to learn to adapt” to a changing climate, “to care for Country and connect people to Country and the benefits that come from that, which are co-benefits”.

As Executive Director of the Jagun Alliance Aboriginal Corporation, Oliver champions First Nations knowledge and regenerative cultural practices that foster recovery and resilience in the face of fire, floods and storms.

Fire serves as a powerful teacher, he said, offering insights into how Australia can adapt in a landscape increasingly shaped by extreme fire events. By drawing on the wisdom of Country and the knowledge of Elders, we can learn to use fire in ways that reduce its impacts while deepening our “stories of the place and the plants, the animals and the kinship we share”.

By combining traditional knowledge with modern adaptation strategies, co-benefits can transform challenges into opportunities for people, communities and ecosystems alike. 

Check out more stories from the AdaptNSW Forum 2024

The Net Zero Commission: Insights and opportunities

AdaptNSW 2024 Forum

The AdaptNSW 2024 Forum, ‘deep understanding, bold action', attracted 500-plus attendees who heard from more than 100 presenters across 36 breakout, panel, workshop and keynote sessions in October 2024. Check out the program highlights and watch recordings of key sessions.