We work with policy makers, practitioners and communities in developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region to build capacity and reduce vulnerabilities to climate change impacts.
Drawing on scientific background on the drivers of climate change and a practical understanding of its impacts, we draw links across different sectors and scales. Our work covers both urban and rural contexts, community-based, regional and national-scales, and extends from resource management issues, to behavioural change initiatives, to social, institutional and ecological resilience, and cities and urban development.
Pacific Islands Emergency Management Alliance (PIEMA) Mid-Term Review
Client: The Pacific Community (SPC)
This mid-term review will provide the decision-makers from SPC, DFAT, MFAT and the 14-member countries under the Project’s scope with an overall independent assessment about the performance of the project and identify key lessons and practical recommendations for follow-up actions. The Review Team comprises researchers from ISF, UTS Institute for Public Policy and Governance (IPPG), UTS World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre (WHO CC) and a Pacific consultant based in Fiji.
Community resilience case studies
Client: Palladium – Australia Pacific Climate Partnership Support Unit
A study to capture insights about changes in community resilience to climate change and disasters in the Pacific, focusing on four Pacific Island Countries: Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga and Kiribati. It is undertaken as part of the Australia-Pacific Climate Partnership (the Climate Partnership), a $75 million investment 2018-2024, funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). This research provides insight on community resilience to climate change and disaster risks in the Pacific offering valuable evidence to DFAT, Pacific country governments and communities and other Pacific development partners seeking to implement the Framework for Resilient Development in the Pacific (FRDP).
Responding for Impact: Lessons & learning from the Australian humanitarian sector
Client: Australia Humanitarian Partnership Support Unit
The UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures supported the Australian Humanitarian Partnership and ACFID’s Humanitarian Reference Group in designing and hosting a “Responding for Impact” seminar at the Australian National University in Canberra in July 2019.
Knowledge contribution to the wider humanitarian sector is a core function of the AHP, and the Responding for Impact seminar was built around the findings and recommendations of three evaluations of AHP humanitarian responses.
Attended by more than 60 participants from non-government organisations (NGOs), government (DFAT, Bureau of Meteorology and Australian Defence Force, GeoScience Australia) and academia, valuable insights, lessons and recommendations were made around the seminar focus areas of localisation, social inclusion and accountability to beneficiaries.
Research outputs:
Seminar paper
Handbook for engaging communities and government in biodiversity conservation and climate adaptation in Papua New Guinea
Client: US AID
The Pacific American Climate Fund, the UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures and the New Guinea Binatang Research Centre are working together to enhance the capacity of local communities and government to support biodiversity and adapt to a changing climate in Papua New Guinea.
This handbook is based on a series of training workshops focused on identifying locally important ecosystem services and how these services may be affected by climate change and development. Ecosystem Services are the benefits people obtain from nature including food and water - they are critical for supporting human life and changes in these services affect human health, well-being and livelihoods.
Research outputs:
Download the handbook
Gender transformative climate change action in the Pacific
Client: Plan International Australia
The research aimed to define what gender transformative climate change action (GTCCA) looks like, towards informing future gender transformative climate change programming. New ways of working to adapt to climate change were developed including meaningful participation of and benefits for marginalised segments of society, including women, children, people of diverse gender and sexual identities, disabled people and indigenous people.
The research employed a strengths-based approach to reveal positive practice and opportunity for future improvements. The approach was designed to motivate gender transformative practice and climate change action by offering space for reflection on past experiences, identifying success stories and their enablers, and revealing preferred future actions. Focus group discussions and interviews were carried out in Fiji and the Solomon Islands to gain insight on GTCCA from real world examples.
The research resulted in a guidance framework and user-friendly tool for practitioners to complete during design and implementation to undertake and measure the progress of projects, based on GTCCA principles and practice.
Research outputs:
Research Report: Gender Transformative Climate Change Action in the Pacific
Framework and Guidance Tool: Gender Transformative Climate Change Action in the Pacific
Climate change response for inclusive WASH
Client: GHD – DFAT Water for Women Fund
This research project, as part of the DFAT Water for Women Fund, supports civil society organisations to assess climate change impacts to improve the service, gender and social inclusion outcomes of WASH programs. Climate change affects the sustainability of WASH services in numerous, interconnecting ways with a disproportionate burden falling on women and people living with disabilities. Understanding these unequal and complex impacts is key to developing solutions that ensure climate change does not adversely affect inequalities in access and services.
For more information visit waterforwomen.uts.edu.au/climate-change-response
Responding to climate change to sustain community-managed water services in Vanuatu
Clear conceptualisation of the different ways that community-managed water services are affected by and sustained against climate change is needed to inform appropriate adaptation interventions.
This research project examined the impacts of climate change on two communities in rural Vanuatu using risk-hazard, vulnerability, and social-ecological system resilience perspectives, and developed a conceptual framework to facilitate interdisciplinary research on climate change impacts on community-managed water services.
Research outputs:
Sustaining rural water services against climate change in Vanuatu: A project brief (Open access version)
Responding to climate change to sustain community-managed water services in Vanuatu – PhD thesis
Humanitarian response and development in urban contexts
Client: International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)
This research contributed to the goal of improving humanitarian response in urban contexts through research for the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED).
The aim of the research was to learn from Fiji’s Western Division experience of integrating development planning and risk response following the response to Tropical Cyclone Winston, which struck Fiji in 2016. Lessons were generated for sub-national and national governments of Fiji, governments and donors in the Pacific region and also beyond.
Keren Winterford, Anna Gero (2018). Humanitarian response for development: lessons from Tropical Cyclone Winston
Keren Winterford, Anna Gero (2018). Humanitarian response for development in Fiji: lessons from Tropical Cyclone Winston - working paper
Climate Change Adaptation in the Philippines: Children and their Communities
Client: Plan International Australia
ISF-UTS was research partner to Plan International Australia and Save the Children’s community-based adaptation grant in the Philippines.
In our role as research partner, ISF-UTS developed a framework of local-level climate change adaptation indicators based on the perspective of local children and communities.
Research outputs and resources:
Learning Event for DFAT’s Community Based Climate Change Action Grants (CBCCAG)
With Griffin NRM for DFAT
ISF-UTS co-designed and facilitated a Learning Event for DFAT’s Community Based Climate Change Action Grants (CBCCAG) Roundtable. The CBCCAG was a $30 million initiative for NGOs to support community-based adaptation and mitigation activities in developing countries. NGOs from countries throughout the Asia-Pacific participated in the Learning Event.
Development of Joint State Action Plans for the Federated States of Micronesia
Client: Secretariat for the Pacific Community (SPC)
This work involved supporting State governments of the Federated States of Micronesia to develop State Joint Action Plans for climate change and disaster risk management in 2014-2016. The Action Plans were developed in partnership with multiple stakeholders across government, private sector and civil society. Relevant actions were developed to build on existing resources, capacity and knowledge in the community whilst also addressing vulnerability and risk. ISF devised and facilitated the consultation process and drafted the Action Plans in partnership with government and SPC.
Research outputs:
Federated States of Micronesia Joint State Action Plans:
Chuuk Joint State Action Plan for Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change
Pohnpei Joint State Action Plan for Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change
Yap Joint State Action Plan for Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change
Kosrae Joint State Action Plan for Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change
Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction Research
Client: New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT)
This research analysed the implications of climate change and disaster risk for MFAT’s development programming. The findings informed MFAT’s development policy, strategy and programming on climate change and resilience through exploring how MFAT should implement targeted and mainstream approaches to strengthening resilience through the New Zealand Aid Programme; and identifying investment areas and opportunities that are likely to produce the best value-add or benefit to development programming.
Facilitating community adaptation to water shortages in Kiribati
In the water-scarce Pacific Island nation of Kiribati wells that supply water are increasingly affected by saltwater intrusion due to high tides, sea level rise and increasingly frequent storms and tropical cyclones. A handbook has been produced to help local facilitators train communities to identify climate change adaptation strategies drawing from various sources of knowledge, including traditional knowledge.
Dynamic Adaptive Management Process: A Facilitators Guide
Pacific Australia Climate Change Science Adaptation Planning Program (PACCSAP) Evaluation
Client: Australian Government – Department of the Environment
Independent review of PACCSAP stakeholder feedback, an initiative of the Australian Government aimed at developing the capacity of Pacific Island Countries to manage future climate risk.
Evaluation of Child-Centred Climate Change Adaptation (4CA) in the Pacific
Client: Foundation for the Peoples of the South Pacific International (FSPI) and Plan International Australia
Independent evaluation of the first phase of Australian Aid funded “Child Centered Climate Change Adaptation (4CA)” program, involving engagement with children and communities in Fiji, Tonga and Kiribati on linkages between climate change adaptation activities with broader advocacy and practice change in local communities and beyond.
Disaster Related Human Mobility within Relevant Pacific Regional Laws, Policies and Frameworks
Client: Nansen Initiative
This project involved analysing the degree to which disaster related human mobility, migration and displacement issues are included in Pacific regional policies and frameworks. Key experts in Pacific mobility, migration and displacement were interviewed. Results were presented to the Nansen Initiative to form part of their Working Paper Series on climate change, disaster and human mobility.
Joint National Action Plan for climate change adaptation and disaster management: Government of Republic of the Marshall Islands
Client: Applied Geoscience Division of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC/SOPAC)
Development and refinement of a three-year action plan for the Pacific Island Country of the Marshall Islands in the area of climate change adaptation and disaster risk management.
Research outputs:
Joint National Action Plan for Climate change and disaster management, RMI
Understanding the Pacific’s adaptive capacity to emergencies in the context of climate change
Client: National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF)
Disasters, and therefore disaster response, in the Pacific are expected to be affected by climate change. This research focused on the immediate humanitarian needs following a disaster, drawing upon adaptive capacity as a concept to assess the resilience of individual organisations and the robustness of the broader system of disaster response. ISF-UTS partnered with WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing, Midwifery and Health at UTS.
Research outputs:
Disaster response and climate change in the Pacific – Final Report
Review of Australia’s Overseas Disaster and Emergency Response Sector
Background Review: Disaster Response Systems of Four Pacific Island Countries
Projected Climate Change Impacts in the Pacific
Poster presented at the NCCARF 2012 Conference
Australia Indonesia Partnership Climate Change and Environment Sector Strategy and Adaptation programme design - methods of monitoring and evaluation in Indonesia- AusAID
Client: AusAID
Drawing on theories of change ISF researchers developed innovative approaches to monitoring and evaluation for AusAID’s climate change and environment strategy and its climate change adaptation program in Indonesia.
Joint National Action Plan for climate change adaptation and disaster management: Government of Niue
Client: Applied Geoscience Division of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC/SOPAC)
Development of a three-year action plan for the Pacific Island Country of Niue in 2011 in the area of climate change adaptation and disaster risk management.
Research outputs:
Joint National Action Plan for Climate change and disaster management, Niue
Read more about our climate change adaptation work in Australia and developed country contexts