Tia Brullo , University of Melbourne ( tia . brullo @ unimelb . edu . au ) Pallavi Goswami , Monash University Pardeep Pall , University of Melbourne Jenny Styger , University of Tasmania Ailie Gallant , Monash University Sarah Boulter , University of Tasmania

The Northern Rivers District of New South Wales has had its fair share of climate-related devastation . In 2019 , the Black Summer bushfires swept through the region , burning significant areas of land . Two years later , the town of Lismore , also in the Northern Rivers , faced catastrophic flooding that left hundreds of people homeless — many of whom remain in temporary accommodation to this day .

The increasing frequency of climate extremes , coupled with the increasing potential for compounding events , reduces the time between disasters and shortens windows for recovery and preparation . While ​we used to think we had time to plan for adaptation , it now feels more like a race to inch adaptation forward before the next major disaster .

Using Lismore as a case study , we explore the increasing urgency of climate change adaptation in recent years and examine the challenges communities face in a world where climate extremes are becoming the new norm .

Reconstruction versus Adaptation

Historically , the focus after extreme weather disasters has been on rebuilding and recovering from the impacts suffered . Only in very recent years , when climate change has made its way into the post-disaster conversation , has the viability of returning to business-as-usual begun to be questioned .

In the small but well-known town of Lismore , in the Northern Rivers Region of New South Wales , a flood that reached a peak of 14.4 metres in February 2022 was an ‘ unprecedented ’ event . This event was closely followed by a series of smaller-scale floods that autumn . Local insurance costs skyrocketed to unaffordable levels and the unavoidable reality of our changing climate set in . Residents , used to periodical flooding , were forced to confront a more severe type of flood risk .

Two years on and the community of Lismore is beginning to show signs of renewal toward a climate-resilient future . A conversation of moving houses out of the high-risk areas of the floodplain and the NSW Reconstruction Authority was created to implement the Resilient Homes Program of buy-backs , house raising and retrofit options , which is now well underway .

The community of Lismore has engaged in their own imagining of different futures of relocation with a community co-designed plan for a new Lismore and numerous grassroots efforts to address concerns of climate change .

Despite progress , the difficult conversations are not over . The pain of choosing to leave behind your community in search of a safer home or to stay in an area where the trauma of past disasters will always loom over you is almost inconceivable until it becomes a reality .

A flood damaged Lismore house purchased as part of the NSW Government ’ s ‘ buy-back ’ scheme to move people and housing out of the flood zones . Photo : Ailie Gallant

The role of trigger events in decision-making

Extreme events are known to be important drivers of climate adaptation : we often talk about ‘ trigger events ’ that create a ‘ window of opportunity ’ for change to occur . After experiencing such events , communities like Lismore can change their perceptions of climate risk and start to think about how to cope if such an event happens again . This can give leaders ,