Organizational barriers to adapting infrastructure assets to climate change: evidence from coastal councils in Australia

Abstract

The frequency and severity of extreme weather events, such as floods, storm surges, droughts, bushfires and cyclones, are forcing public organizations to look at their strategies for safeguarding their infrastructure assets. The organizational challenges facing local councils worldwide in the context of climate change have not been adequately developed or understood. This article addresses this gap in knowledge with a model that identifies the organizational barriers to adapting infrastructure to climate change. Managers can use the model to also assess the vulnerability of their infrastructure to climate change.

Keywords:

• Climate change adaptation (CCA)
• infrastructure
• local government
• organizational barriers

Acknowledgements

The author gratefully acknowledges the financial support provided by Victoria University through its Special Studies Program (SSP) and the helpful assistance from the directorate of the National Sea Change Taskforce who provided the database of members and other administrative support. The author wishes to also acknowledge the constructive feedback received from two anonymous reviewers.

Notes

^* The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the leading body for the assessment of climate change, established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to provide the world with a clear scientific view on the current state of climate change and its potential environmental and socio-economic consequences.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Nick Sciulli

Nick Sciulli is the Head of Research: Governance and Accountability at Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia.