This presentation will provide a policymaker’s perspective on translating climate science into public policy.

The contemporary policy context is one of fewer government resources and a heightened sensitivity to the ‘cost of living’ impacts of mitigation responses. In light of this, how can researchers and policymakers work to maintain the integrity of the science while being effective in communicating a need for a public policy response?

It is asserted that this problem is not insurmountable. Framing the science in the context of government service delivery, infrastructure and risk management may provide a basis for an ongoing dialogue between researchers and policymakers that embeds climate risks into public policy and, ultimately, embeds climate policy into routine government decision making.