Science-policy-practice Interfaces for City Climate Change Transitions: A Case Study of Canberra, Australia

ABSTRACT

Science indicates that cities are central to society’s capacity to avoid catastrophic and irreversible climate change, that rapid transitions to climate wise practices are needed and that transition steps will face implementation challenges. Lessons learned from reform experience can build understanding of the knowledge, policy and practices required for further transitions. This paper identifies lessons learned from renewable energy and resilience reforms in the city of Canberra, Australia. It finds that attention to science-policy-practice interfaces contributes important insights for the design of planned transitions and for integrative and implementation-focused reforms needed to overcome local barriers.

摘要

科学表明，城市对社会避免灾难性和不可逆转的气候变化的能力至关重要，需要迅速过渡到气候明智的做法，过渡步骤将面临实施挑战. 从改革经验中吸取的经验教训可以建立对进一步过渡所需的知识、政策和做法的理解. 本文介绍了澳大利亚堪培拉市可再生能源和恢复力改革的经验教训. 研究发现，对科学-政策-实践界面的关注有助于对计划过渡的设计以及克服地方障碍所需的以实施为重点的综合改革提供重要见解.

KEYWORDS:

• Science-policy-practice interface
• cities
• renewable energy transitions
• resilience
• climate governance

Acknowledgments

Constructive comments from two reviewers and from Darren Sinclair and Jonathan Pickering on earlier drafts are appreciated.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Green Star is Australia’s largest voluntary and independently certified sustainability rating system for buildings, fitouts and communities, developed by the Green Building Council of Australia.

2. The Australian Rainfall and Runoff Handbook (ARRH), developed by Engineers Australia, is a guideline for flood estimation in construction that has been updated to consider the implications of a changing climate.