News & Views item - December 2010

 

 

 Prime Minister's Science, Engineering and Innovation Council Releases Expert Reports on Energy Challenges and Food Security. (December 1, 2010)

Australia's Chief Scientist, Professor Penny Sackett, today announced the publication of two reports produced by expert committees of the Prime Minister's Science, Engineering and Innovation Council (PMSEIC).

 

Challenges at Energy-Water-Carbon Intersections and

Australia and Food Security in a Changing World

 

She noted that both reports address long-term, transformational issues for Australia that affect the whole nation and will therefore require a whole-of-government response. They will be discussed further with the Prime Minister and other PMSEIC members at PEMSEIC's next meeting, scheduled for 4 February 2011.

 

According to Professor Sackett, the reports, although developed by independent committees, deal with a number of interconnected matters which include the impact of climate change, the importance of water, and the need to build a resilient Australia.

 

We charged the cross-disciplinary, expert groups that authored these reports to take a holistic approach, to look at the big picture, and not just a single piece of the science-society interface. The independent, scientific reports they produced are ground-breaking and vital to the future of the nation. I am delighted the reports have been released today so that they can inform not only government decision-making, but also public discourse.

 

Our energy systems use water; water systems use energy; current energy generation is greenhouse gas (GHG)-intensive; and land uses for food, fibre and energy production all require water. Solutions in any one area must take into account implications for the others. Ideally solutions, whether on the scale of national governments, cities, or rural areas, would be developed integrally. For example, traditional desalination to increase urban water supplies may significantly add to GHG emissions, which can exacerbate climate change. [Therefore,] Consistent accounting and pricing principles are required to ensure our finite resources are used effectively, efficiently, and in ways that are consistent with long-term sustainability and resilience.  The implementation of integrated smart networks for energy and water, which is also recommended in the report, will go a long way to enable the application of these principles.

 

Professor Sackett emphasised that:

 

Australia, as a nation composed of individual communities linked by common challenges of water, energy and climate, should develop the ability to recover from shocks such as droughts, floods, and heatwaves, while adapting through learning and innovation, and undergoing transformation as required.

 

Then turning to the matter of food security:

 

Food security does not just mean having enough food in a typical year. It means having reliable and sustainable access to acceptable, nutritious, and affordable food at all times. Australians expect this security, and about 40 million non-Australians internationally rely on our country to secure their food as well.

The food security report recommends a visionary approach that brings together regulatory and funding agencies, research organisations and industry, to achieve strong outcomes in economic growth and population health centred on food.  These steps include urgent new investment in food science and technology that will spur future transformational change in healthy and efficient food production; increasing our human capacity to provide a suitably skilled workforce for the food sector; and translating community awareness of food into better food choices.

 

 

Challenges at Energy-Water-Carbon Intersections Australia and Food Security in a Changing World
Recommendation 1: Consistent principles for the use of finite resources

The Expert Working Group recommends that consistent principles for finite resource use be developed and implemented for energy, water and carbon. These principles will ensure that (1) markets transmit full, linked, long-term costs to society; (2) accounting is comprehensive and consistent with natural constraints and processes; and (3) markets work together with non-market strategies, including implementation of robust governance arrangements, promotion of behavioural change and effective regulation of use.


Recommendation 2: Smart networks for energy and water systems

The Expert Working Group recommends (1) the design, testing and assessment of smart networks for electricity, gas and water, through a research and implementation program leading to commercial demonstration; and (2) the application of smart network technology to improve distribution efficiency and water productivity in irrigation.


Recommendation 3: Resilient landscapes

The Expert Working Group recommends a national Resilient Landscapes Initiative, to support the evolution of land systems as resilient producers, water catchments, carbon storages, ecosystems and societies. The initiative will assist communities and industries to resolve tensions and take advantage of emerging opportunities presented by these multiple roles. The initiative will operate through a diverse set of regional projects.


Recommendation 4:
Resilient cities and towns

The Expert Working Group recommends the development of a national Resilient Cities and Towns Initiative, to foster resilient, low-emission energy systems, water systems and built environments by focusing jointly on technological developments in supply and on adaptation in demand as Australia’s urban populations grow. The initiative will operate through a set of demonstration projects, united in a national approach.


Recommendation 5: Enhanced knowledge and learning system

The Expert Working Group recommends enhancing the development of integrative perspectives across the Australian knowledge system, by (1) establishing a core research effort in integrative systems analysis, to understand and map the connections between energy, water, carbon, climate, agriculture, ecosystems, the economy and society; (2) including incentives for integrative analysis in existing academic, government and sectoral innovation investment structures; and (3) enhancing support for stable, ongoing delivery of essential information.
Recommendation 1

To provide the basis for a national approach to addressing food security challenges: The Expert Working Group recommends the establishment of the Australian Food Security Agency. The Australian Food.


Recommendation 2

The Expert Working Group recommends that Australia increases investment in agricultural R&D to harness national expertise and take a leading role in national and international programs targeted to improving low input farming systems.


Recommendation 3

The Expert Working Group recommends the development of incentives to recruit and nurture future generations of innovative and adaptive farmers, researchers and associated professionals for the Australian food production and processing sectors.


Recommendation 4

The Expert Working Group recommends better engaging the community and partner organisations to elevate the status of food in Australia and build cooperative commitment to an improved food value chain.