Putting people at the centre: towards transforming climate risk assessment for water security and delivery

The Murray-Darling Basin, Australia’s most significant river system, faces increasing threats from climate change. Despite the urgent need for action, current climate adaptation efforts in the Basin are fragmented, largely due to the disconnect between the wealth of available climate information and its practical application by stakeholders. Traditional ‘science-centric’ methods often fail to address the specific concerns of local communities, resulting in decision paralysis and limited action. This project aims to bridge this gap by developing a new, ‘people-centric’ approach to climate risk assessment and adaptation.

About this project

This project represents a pioneering effort to revolutionize climate risk assessments in the Murray–Darling Basin. It will develop and test a novel approach that prioritises stakeholder engagement and practical adaptation strategies.

Unlike traditional methods, this approach will provide tailored, actionable information directly relevant to the needs and values of different stakeholder groups. The project will involve four regional case studies, each selected to represent diverse areas of the basin. These case studies will serve as prototypes to refine the methodology and ensure its effectiveness across various contexts.

Over the first 12 months, a prototype of the new climate risk assessment approach will be developed. This will involve extensive stakeholder workshops to establish a shared vision and understanding of climate impacts. Stakeholders will help identify key climate risks and develop potential adaptation strategies. These strategies will then be evaluated using fit-for-purpose modeling tools to quantify their effectiveness. The results will be discussed with stakeholders to finalise adaptation plans tailored to each region.

The project will follow an iterative, agile approach to allow flexibility and maximize stakeholder engagement. Feedback from each step will be used to refine the methods and tools, ensuring they are both practical and effective. This collaborative process will create guidelines and modeling tools that can be applied to other regions and industries, fostering broader adoption of the new approach.

Outcomes

This project is the first step in a nine-year program aimed at transforming climate risk assessments from ‘science-centric’ to ‘people-centric’ approaches. By involving stakeholders directly in the development and application of climate adaptation strategies, the project aims to overcome decision paralysis and empower communities to act.

The ultimate goal is to create sustainable, resilient, and productive environments in the Murray–Darling Basin, ensuring that communities and industries can effectively respond to the challenges posed by climate change.

If successful, this approach could serve as a model for other regions in Australia and worldwide, promoting a global shift towards more effective and inclusive climate adaptation practices.