Climate action resources for business and industry
The Queensland Government is supporting businesses and industries to develop their own solutions that maximise growth and resilience in a changing world.
The transition to a resilient low-carbon economy brings many opportunities for Queensland businesses and industries.
Innovative operational practices, access to new markets, improved competitive advantage and ability to endure climate risks are all positive outcomes available to transitioning businesses and industries.
Businesses have an important role to play in taking climate action to ensure a sustainable and prosperous future for Queensland.
Actions you can take
- Sign up to ecoBiz, a free program for small and medium-sized businesses with personal coaching, site surveys, training and tools to help improve resource efficiency, environmental sustainability and lower operating costs.
- Assess and manage the exposure of your business to climate change risks by using our climate change risk management tool for small businesses in Queensland.
- For agricultural businesses, the Energy Savers Plus Program Extension provides free audits to identify better ways to manage your electricity, and grants of up to $20,000 to implement recommendations.
- Set your own emissions reduction target and develop an emissions reduction plan.
- Investigate renewable energy options.
- Buy carbon credits to offset the carbon emissions of your business.
- Develop a waste management plan to monitor and reduce waste.
- Investigate options for producing energy onsite from waste.
- Identify and discuss with other businesses the adaptation actions that might be needed to ensure your business stays resilient, sustainable and profitable into the future—see CCIQ’s brochure, Small businesses adapt to climate-related shocks .
General resources
- Climate science and data resources include summaries of regional and state-wide climate change impacts, and Queensland’s latest greenhouse gas inventory.
- Sector Adaptation Plans prioritise adaptation activities and identify opportunities for eight Queensland sectors.
- National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility supports decision-makers to manage the risks of climate change.
- Get Ready Queensland provides tools and resources to help build resilience to extreme weather and natural disasters.
- The Science Based Targets global initiative provides resources for businesses to set targets consistent with limiting global warming to below 2°C, and preferably 1.5°C.
- The Business Renewables Centre Australia supports renewable power purchasing by providing tools and information for businesses.
Capitalising on Queensland’s Opportunities in a zero net emissions future – Ernst and Young. These reports highlight the opportunities for Queensland sectors in adapting to a changing climate.
- Capitalising on Queensland’s opportunities in a zero net emissions future: Executive summary
- A Queensland zero net emissions economy: Agriculture
- A Queensland zero net emissions economy: Construction
- A Queensland zero net emissions economy: Energy
- A Queensland zero net emissions economy: Finance
- A Queensland zero net emissions economy: Manufacturing
- A Queensland zero net emissions economy: Resources
- A Queensland zero net emissions economy: Tourism
- A Queensland zero net emissions economy: Transport
Resources by industry sector
- Agriculture
- Built environment and infrastructure
- Small and medium enterprise
- Tourism
- Human health and wellbeing
- Emergency management
- Biodiversity and ecosystems
Agriculture
- The Agriculture Sector Adaptation Plan identifies priorities and opportunities for the agriculture sector when responding to climate change.
- AussieGRASS provides rainfall and pasture growth maps.
- FORAGE property reports contain information on ground cover, rainfall and pasture, indicative land types and regional climate projections.
- Scientific Information for Land Owners (SILO) is a database of climate records and provides daily datasets for climate variables.
- The drought declaration map shows council areas that are drought declared.
- The Drought and Climate Adaptation Program is an initiative to improve drought preparedness and resilience for Queensland producers.
- Seasonal climate outlooks for Queensland provide rainfall commentary and probabilities, monthly climate statements, and sea surface temperatures.
Built environment and infrastructure
- The Built Environment and Infrastructure Sector Adaptation Plan aims to create an environment supportive of behaviour that safeguards the prosperity of the sector, and Queensland as a whole.
- The Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA) has resources and tools to enable sustainability outcomes, including Australia’s only comprehensive rating system for evaluating sustainability across the planning, design, construction and operation of all phases of infrastructure projects and assets.
- Green Building Council of Australia rates the sustainability of buildings and communities through Australia’s only national, voluntary, holistic rating system, known as Green Star.
Small and medium enterprise
- The Small and Medium Enterprise Sector Adaptation Plan , developed by the sector under the Queensland Climate Adaptation Strategy, identifies adaptation priorities for small and medium businesses in Queensland across seven action areas. Find out more about the priority adaptation measures in the executive summary .
- CCIQ’s brochure also provides a concise overview for small business owners.
- The ecoBiz program helps businesses save money on power, water and waste bills.
- Business Queensland provides advice and resources on how to make your business environmentally friendly.
- The Understanding the Adaptive Capacity of Australian Small-to-Medium Enterprises to Climate change and Variability (PDF) report by NCCARF has information on how climate change will impact businesses and how they can prepare.
Tourism
- The Tourism Sector Climate Change Response Plan identifies priorities and opportunities for the sector when responding to climate change.
- The Queensland Tourism Industry Council has resources on sustainability and resilience for the tourism sector.
- The Griffith Institute for Tourism’s Sustainability and Climate Change program advances research in ecotourism, nature conservation, resource efficiency and climate change.
- EarthCheck supports sustainability actions across the travel and tourism industry.
- The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s emissions calculator supports marine operators to keep track of their carbon footprint.
- The Decarbonising the resorts of the Great Barrier Reef islands report outlines the work by Energetics and EarthCheck that involves supporting 25 resorts to reduce their carbon emissions and increase their resilience to a changing climate.
- The Great Barrier Reef Resort Islands – Case Studies and Best Practice Examples guide provides ideas and learning on reducing operational impact of island resorts.
Human health and wellbeing
- The Human Health and Wellbeing Climate Adaptation Plan in Queensland identifies priorities and opportunities for the health care, aged care and early childhood education and care sectors when responding to climate change.
- The National Climate Change Adaptation and Research Facility provides advice to supports decision-makers manage climate change risks including:
- The NCCARF synthesis summary: Heat and heatwaves explains the effects of heatwaves on health.
- The Heat-Ready: Heatwave Awareness, Preparedness and Adaptive Capacity in Aged Care Facilities provides advice on how to protect the elderly from heatwaves.
- The Climate and Health Alliance has developed a National Framework for Climate, Health and Well-Being. It also provides resources for the health and wellbeing sector to address their carbon and environmental footprint.
Emergency management
- The Emergency Management Sector Adaptation Plan identifies priorities and opportunities for the emergency management sector when responding to climate change.
- Queensland Fire and Emergency Services provides information on emergency planning.
- Get Ready Queensland provides tools and resources to help build resilience to extreme weather and natural disasters.
- The Queensland State Natural Hazard Risk Assessment 2017 provides an overview of Queensland’s exposure to tropical cyclones, flooding, heatwaves and other natural disasters.
- Queensland Disaster Management provides disaster management plans and guidelines.
Biodiversity and ecosystems
- The Biodiversity and Ecosystems Climate Adaptation Plan identifies and priorities ways to help Queensland’s biodiversity and ecosystems adapt to the effects of climate change.
- A Terrestrial ecosystems report by National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF) details the effects of increasing temperatures, more frequent and severe extreme weather events, and declining rainfall on the behaviour of terrestrial plants and animals.
- A Marine diversity report by NCCARF details how changes in ocean temperature and chemistry are impacting our marine environments, and the implications for how we manage our fisheries and coastal environments.