As the first author of Rebalancing Regional and Remote Australia, I am excited to share a forward-thinking initiative that offers a solution to the challenges posed by climate change. Leading an international team of experts, we’ve developed a strategy that not only addresses climate mitigation but also presents significant socioeconomic opportunities for Australia.
In an era where global climate agreements struggle to meet the ambitious targets set by the UN Conference of the Parties (COP), Australia is uniquely positioned to lead an innovative approach for global climate mitigation. The initiative presents a bold approach that could transform Australia into a global carbon sink by sequestering an estimated 4 gigatonnes (Gt) of CO2 annually. The strategy aims to leverage approximately 25% of Australia’s landmass, using advanced proven technologies to transform the nation’s environmental outlook and offer new socioeconomic opportunities.
Transforming Australia’s landscapes: a multi-faceted approach
Australia contributes to approximately 1% of global human-generated carbon emissions and is ranked the sixth largest country in the world. With vast arid and semi-arid areas covering around 55% and 15% of the country respectively, there is significant potential to contribute to global carbon reduction efforts and facilitate large-scale restoration of Australia’s ecosystems and build sustainable communities, simultaneously.
At its core is the regeneration of approximately 2 million km² of Australia’s arid and semi-arid centrally located regions. The initiative integrates advanced energy, water, and agricultural technologies with nature-based climate solutions to create a balanced ecosystem that supports biodiversity and addresses current and future economic, environmental, and social challenges.
Creating Sustainable Communities
A central pillar of Rebalancing Regional and Remote Australia is the development of sustainable communities that work in harmony with their natural surroundings. As proof of concept, the strategy advocates an initial pilot community of 100,000 residents, with 200 further pilot projects supporting a total of 20 million people.
The pilot demonstrates how an integrated approach to energy, water, and agriculture systems can foster sustainable communities in even the most remote regions.
Beyond its environmental objectives, and in line with Australia’s interest in developing regional areas to support the growing population, the strategy presents significant business opportunities.
Unique opportunity for Australia to lead global climate efforts
Rebalancing Regional and Remote Australia presents a comprehensive and cohesive framework that integrates environmental, economic, and social factors, moving away from fragmented, sector-specific approaches.
By transforming Australia into a major global carbon sink, the country has the potential to lead in climate mitigation, paving the way for environmental conservation and innovative development using this scalable and adaptable framework by other nations.
This transformative strategy requires active engagement of a wide array of stakeholders, with social acceptability being a key focus.
If you share this vision and would like to contribute to this transformative effort, please get in touch. Together, we can drive impactful change and make Australia a leader in global climate action.
A free copy of the paper is available from the Environmental Research Letter web site or from here, including Supplementary material, which includes our foundational assumptions.
The brochure of Rebalancing Regional and Remote Australia is available here.
