Working with Queensland producers to identify how to adapt to climate change and reduce their carbon footprint, to negate the cost increases expected under a carbon economy, has been a strong focus of the Queensland Murray-Darling Committee (QMDC).
QMDC’s regional climate change officer, Rhonda Toms-Morgan, said that while most producers understood the carbon economy was on the way, few fully grasped the practicalities or implications. Rhonda said, “While the potential introduction of the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme has been delayed, now is the time for agricultural producers across the state to learn about the potential impacts of this carbon economy.”
“QMDC has been running workshops across the region for the past 10 months in partnership with AgForce Queensland,” she said. These climate change, carbon and energy workshops have been developed and delivered in conjunction with Agroclim Australia’s Dr Jeff Clewett. The workshops cover topics such as climate change history, science and how to identify opportunities for adaptation, as well as current climate change policy, markets and greenhouse gas mitigation options.
“So far, we have delivered this workshop to nearly 300 producers across the region. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, suggesting that the day helped landholders put all the issues in perspective.” Rhonda said that while debate continued about climate change generally, it was vital that rural and regional business operators focused on the potential impact of climate policy.
“Like many other countries, Australia is moving toward an emissions trading scheme, and we really need to understand what it means for us as sustainable producers. Regardless of the current Senate debate on carbon legislation, we also need to look seriously at how we can adapt to predicted climate change scenarios through quality extension of the current science,” she said.
“Whether or not the agricultural sector is covered in the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, it is vital we understand how the legislation will impact on agriculture and what actions we can take to reduce on-property emissions where possible.”
Photograph: Landholders Anita Lethbridge and Chris Walton at a ‘Carbon on Farm’ workshop.
