Barriers to climate change adaption in the Australian property industry
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JPIF-12-2019-0161 |
| Pages | 449-462 |
| Published date | 23 March 2020 |
| Date | 23 March 2020 |
| Author | Georgia Warren-Myers,Anna Hurlimann,Judy Bush |
| Subject Matter | Real estate & property,Property valuation & finance,Property management & built environment |
Barriers to climate change
adaption in the Australian
property industry
Georgia Warren-Myers, Anna Hurlimann and Judy Bush
Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, The University of Melbourne,
Melbourne, Australia
Abstract
Purpose –To identify barriers to climate change adaptation in the Australian property industry.
Design/methodology/approach–Semi-structured interviews with twenty-four stakeholders from a diverse
cross-section of the Australian property industry were undertaken in 2018 and 2019.
Findings –A range of barriers to action on climate change were identified. These barriers centre around (1)
information: lack of clear, reliable, and trusted sources of climate change information; (2) cost: competing
economic demands, and the perceived threat that investing in climate change action poses to competitiveness;
and (3) regulation: the inaction of governments thus failing to provide a regulatory environment to address
climate change.
Research limitations/implications –The qualitative research provides perspectives from actors in
different sectors of the Australian property industry. While it provides an in-depth understanding of the
barriers to addressing climate change adaptation, it is not necessarily a nationally representative sample.
Practical implications –The study identifies barriers to climate change adaptation, and establishes
practical ways in which the Australian property industry can address these barriers and the role that
government regulation could have in generating industry-wide change.
Social implications –Climate change poses significant challenges to society. Built environments are
significant contributors to climate change, and thus the property industry is well-placed to make positive
contributions to this global challenge.
Originality/value –Limited research has examined barriers to climate change action in the property
industry. This research provides novel insights from the perspective of key actors across a diverse range of
property industry sectors. This new knowledge fills an important gap in understanding how to address climate
change in Australia and broader contexts.
Keywords Climate change, Adaptation, Property stakeholders, Barriers, Real estate, Regulation
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
Climate change poses significant challenges to humans and the natural environment, and
these impacts are anticipated to escalate in future. Many human activities since the
industrial revolution have resulted in a significantandcontinuingriseingreenhousegas
emissions. Built environments are a focus for human settlements and activities, and thus
have contributed to the rise of greenhouse gas emissions. As detailed in reports produced
by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), greenhouse gas emissions have
contributed to approximately 1.0
o
Cofwarmingtodate(IPCC, 2018), and our current
trajectory will lead to 3.2–5.4
o
C of warming by 2,100 (Fuss et al., 2014). This will have
significant, catastrophic impacts for human societies both directly and indirectly. Impacts
will vary from location to location, but include increased intensity and frequency of
extreme weather events, longer periods of drought, increased bushfire risk, sea level rise,
and increasing extreme heat days, which will impact human health, wellbeing and
economies. The international community, through the Paris Agreement (United Nations,
Barriers to
climate change
adaptation
449
We acknowledge the research assistance by Laura Curtoni with data analysis and Jenny Pitts
identifying potential interviewees. The research was funded through a Research Development Grant
from the Faculty of Architecture Building and Planning at the University of Melbourne, Australia.
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/1463-578X.htm
Received 20 December 2019
Revised 21 December 2019
Accepted 21 December 2019
Journal of Property Investment &
Finance
Vol. 38 No. 5, 2020
pp. 449-462
© Emerald Publishing Limited
1463-578X
DOI 10.1108/JPIF-12-2019-0161
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