12. Better inform future infrastructure climate change risks and adaptation requirements by implementing a statewide approach to climate change adaptation for infrastructure, including:
- expanding the Climate Science Initiative to require statewide coverage and update it regularly to incorporate new information
- requiring all state agencies and government trading enterprises to develop climate change adaptation plans to enhance the climate resilience of assets, operations and services under their control, including analysis of place-based climate change impacts, risk assessment of vulnerable assets and infrastructure requirements to increase resilience to potential climate change impacts for assets at risk, which are embedded in their strategic asset plans and business cases
- developing guidance that enables state agencies and government trading enterprises, in partnership with peak industry bodies, to progress the further development of sectoral adaptation actions
- requiring relevant state agencies and government trading enterprises, in partnership with the private sector, to develop sectoral adaptation plans for all relevant sectors that enable sectoral stakeholders and infrastructure asset owners to identify climate change risks and measures to adapt to current and future climate change impacts.
The WA Government responded to Foundation for a stronger tomorrow in February 2023. Recommendation 12 is fully supported. For further information please refer to the response document.
Actions:
12.21 Consider the expansion of the Climate Science Initiative once the Climate Change Adaptation Strategy for WA has been finalised in 2023
12.22 Develop a climate risk framework to monitor, assess and report on implications of climate change on the state's finances, infrastructure, physical assets and service delivery
12.23 Complete the Health Sector Adaptation Plan pilot, a project under the Western Australian Climate Policy
2/3 actions complete
1/3 actions on schedule
12.21 Complete
Implementation is complete, noting that the expansion of the Climate Science Initiative was approved in the 2023-24 State Budget and will be delivered over 4 years.
12.22 On schedule
Development of guidelines on climate risk reporting requirements is progressing. A number of agencies have commenced work on preliminary climate change risk assessments.
12.23 Complete
The Sector Adaptation Plan for Health was completed in June 2024. The plan will inform the development of a Health and Human Services sector adaptation plan, as set out in the Climate Change Bill. Project learnings will be applied to the expanded sector adaptation plan program identified in the Climate Adaptation Strategy.