Climate
Climate change is happening at an increased pace and is having a growing impact on our lives and livelihoods in rural South Australia. In coming decades, it’s projected that the Northern and Yorke region will experience:
- More intense and frequent heatwaves,
- More intense and prolonged periods of drought,
- An increased number of dangerous fire weather days,
- More short, intense rainfall and storm events, and
- Sea level rise leading to coastal inundation.
The Northern and Yorke Landscape Board is committed to working with our community to respond to these challenges through protecting and restoring natural systems, building capacity in adaptive agriculture and increasing regional resilience with best practice landscape management.
Emissions reduction
Setting targets to reduce greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere is helping governments and industries, like agriculture, become laser-focused about reducing the impacts of climate change.
To meet our international obligations under the Paris Agreement, the Australian Government has committed to reducing emissions to 62-70% below 2005 levels by 2035 and to net zero by 2050. The South Australian Government’s target is 60% below 2005 levels by 2030 and net zero by 2050. In 2022-23, a 55% decrease in total net emissions since 2004-2005 was recorded in South Australia.
Plans are also in place to help everyone work together. Here are plans that directly impact the Northern and Yorke region:
Biodiversity
A changing climate significantly impacts our region’s biodiversity. The National Climate Resilience and Adaptation Strategy, aims to position Australia to better anticipate, manage and adapt to our changing climate.
The Board is currently undertaking work to determine how we can best support our Threatened Ecological Communities and threatened flora and fauna in the face of climate emergencies, such as drought, flood and bushfire.
Our projects
The Board is currently working with landholders and stakeholders on several different projects that deliver climate-related outcomes:
- The Carbon Farming Outreach Program offers workshops to help land managers increase their knowledge of carbon farming and emissions reduction.
- The ACE (Adapting to Climate and Emissions) Farmers program is working directly with primary producers to boost capacity and understand emissions reduction and resilient farming practices under a changing climate.
We are also working on a number of other projects that deliver benefits to our landscapes that will improve their resilience to climate change, including Marna Banggara, Stronger Country and the Environmental and Cultural Flows project.
Weather and climate resources
- My Climate View: Helps farmers and communities plan for the impacts of climate variability
- Regional Weather and Climate Guides: Click on the Northern and Yorke region
- Department for Environment and Water’s Government action on climate change
- Wine Australia’s Climate Atlas for the Clare Valley and Barossa Valley
- Our Dry times web page: Fact sheets and resources
- SA Drought Hub: Subscribe for updates on projects, resources, events and funding
- Weather stations in the Northern and Yorke region
Other weather stations in our region:
- CoTL Mid-North Mesonet
- AgByte Yorke Peninsula network
- Upper North Farming Systems network