Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Public policy
is a matter of convergence between the state, capital, labour and civil
society at the behest of a public that is intolerant of the politics of fear, and desires
a politics of hope. These partnerships converge on agreed policy goals of stability,
global leadership, full employment, intergenerational equity, transparency and the
Good Life. Governance is multilayered yet integrated across levels and sectors. The
innovation, creativity and motivation for adaptation come from business more than
government. Growth is a goal of policy, but it is modest, distributed and significantly
dematerialized and decarbonized. Corporate laws are reformed so that corporations
are more accountable to shareholders and the state, and employment is as important
as profit as a measure of business success. Private property rights are not subordinate
to policy, but they are reconfigured in important ways, including through changes
in the duration of ownership (which is now subject to environmental triggers),
and the degree to which property implies exclusive use. Policy instruments are not
selected on the basis of ideology but likely efficacy, and the relationship between
markets, planning and regulation is responsive and changes across spatial and
temporal scales and sectors. Adaptation is mainstreamed across all sectors of policy
and is designed to be robust with respect to a variety of possible futures (Lempert and
Schlesinger, 2001).
Social justice
exists, and indeed is fundamental to this society's approach to
managing climate change impacts. These values underpin not only national
policies, but also Australia's international relations. In a nation that recognizes
the importance of forward planning to manage climate change, society as a
whole becomes future oriented, with recognition of the responsibilities of present
to future generations.
'New Atlantis' sees its
international relations
, especially in the Asia-Pacific
region, as a critical component of policies to address climate change and build
resilience. It leads in the introduction and negotiation of international agree-
ments, and is on course to meet its own targets. It is a substantial aid donor, and
has entered into trade treaties in an attempt to ensure food security. Agricultural
production continues to contribute to exports, although wheat exports have
fallen. Through agreements with a number of small island states, Australia is a
world leader in facilitating labour mobility as a means to enhance the adaptive
capacity of people in low-income countries that are vulnerable to climate
change.
Adaptation policy
is subservient to a larger climate change policy framework
where less is made of the distinction between mitigation and adaptation. All
climate change policy is purposeful and planned. Synergies between mitigation
and adaptation are maximized: for example, in urban designs that reduce
emissions and promote healthy lifestyles and aesthetically rich experiences,
transport services that reduce emissions and promote social integration and
agricultural enterprises that are emissions neutral and water efficient. The
state plans for transformative change in vulnerable sectors, over appropriate
timescales: for example, cities are planned so that sea-level rise, fire and heat
stress are less risky despite a warming climate; agriculture is planned so that high
production occurs in climatically appropriate zones, and shifts as these zones
