Climate Change Adaptation Planning in Victoria’s Water Sector

Aim: Use climate change scenario planning to inform decision-making.

Outcome: Victoria’s Climate Change Act (2017) requires seven systems to develop Adaptation Action Plans (AAPs). The Water Cycle System is one of those systems, and one of three to develop a pilot AAP that sets out several “actions”.

Action 12 in the Pilot Water Sector Adaptation Action Plan is to: “Review the use of climate change scenarios in water sector planning.” The Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, through the Victorian Water and Climate Initiative, funded research with the Climate Change Exchange to deliver on this action.

Throughout 2020, the Climate Change Exchange researchers conducted a survey and a series of semi-structured interviews with the sector to understand: the different ways in which scenarios are utilised to inform adaptation planning; challenges in applying scenarios for robust and flexible decision-making; and subsequent principles for the application and use of scenarios for climate change adaptation planning.