Adaptation options assessment for the Australian uranium supply chain focused on the Olympic Dam and Ranger Mines

摘要

This study identifies adaptation needs and proposes adaptation options to manage the impact of future climate change in the Australian uranium industry. The study is focussed on two mines the Ranger and Olympic Dam sites, which represent in excess of 73% of the Australian uranium production. The study employed part of a previous vulnerability assessment from each of the mines? supply chain participants, through which they self-assessed their site-specific risk management plans and their abilities to manage the risk of climate change. Adaptation options were identified and ranked (in three scenarios of decision making) through a multi-criteria analysis process that considered cost-efficiency, effectiveness, speed of implementation, human capital, and additional benefits of adaptation. For each of the sites, the results revealed that an improvement in both internal and external communications with supply chain participants would be the most effective way to increase the capacity for adaptation to climate change in the future. Furthermore, the study reveals that improving the employees? knowledge about the identification of the climate extremes (climate events and extreme weather events) in their risk management plans (RMPs) and increasing the frequency by which they update their RMPs would improve their adaptive capacity.