Established in mid-2008, the Climate Transformations initiative was initially housed at the McCaughey Centre: VicHealth Centre for the Promotion of Mental Health and Community Wellbeing, located in the Melbourne School of Population Health at the University of Melbourne.

Key activities and outputs of the initiative to date include:

• Research and policy development projects
• Short courses and teaching
• Publications, book chapters and reports
• Forums and workshops
• Conferences, seminars and presentations

Research and policy development projects

• Liveable and Just: Improving the capacity of local government to respond to climate change in ways which are healthy, just and sustainable – Discussion Paper, workshop series and development of Resource Kit. Project partners include: Victorian Local Governance Association, Brotherhood of St Laurence and DSE. (December 2008 – March 2010)
  Click here for more information and access to the Liveable and Just toolkit
   
• Climate Change and Community Engagement:
  • Climate Change and Community Engagement: Benefits, Challenges and Strategies – Report for the Department of Planning and Community Development, Victorian Government (August - October 2008, Report launched Feb 2009)
  • Mapping Climate Change and Community Engagement at DSE: 2006-2009 – Report for the Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victorian Government (January - May 2009)
  Click here for more information
   
• [Re]generation: Distributed Systems, sustainability and resilience – Briefing Paper series and international conference held in 2010. This project is a partnership between the McCaughey Centre and the Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab (February 2009 – ongoing)
  Click here for more information
   

Short courses and teaching

• Short course: 'Climate change and community wellbeing: Local and regional trends, strategies and solutions'.
  This 2-day course for community, government and industry based practitioners was developed by the McCaughey Centre in conjunction with the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute the Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab and the Victorian Council of Social Service. The course was run for the first time on 26 - 27 November, 2009.
  • For more information see the course outline
  • A Summary Report of the 2009 course is also available here
   
• Supervision and mentoring of students undertaking semester-long research projects in the undergraduate course: UNIB30003: Climate Change III, July – November, 2010

 
Publications, book chapters and reports

• Wiseman, J. and Edwards, T. 'Climate change, resilience and transformation: Challenges and opportunities for local communities', in Weissbecker, I. (ed.) Climate Change and Human Wellbeing: Global Challenges and Opportunities, (forthcoming)
   
• Fritze, J., Wiseman, J. and Williamson, L. 'Community engagement and climate change: Learning from recent Australian experience' International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, Vol. 2, No. 2, 2010, pp134-147
   
• Edwards, T. and Wiseman, J. Liveable and Just: A toolkit for local government to address the social and equity impacts of climate change, Booklet series produced for Victorian Local Governance Association, Melbourne, 2010
   
• Biggs, C., Ryan, C., Wiseman, J. and Larsen, K. Distributed Water Systems: A networked and localised approach for sustainable water services. Report No 2. Carlton, Melbourne, Australia: McCaughey Centre, 2009
   
• Wiseman, J. and Edwards, T. 'Community health and wellbeing in a changing climate: Challenges and priorities for the health sector in Victoria' Health Issues Journal, 2009, 99: 10-15
   
• Edwards, T. and Wiseman, J. Climate Change and Community Engagement: Analysis of DSE Initiatives 2006 – 2009, Report for Department of Sustainability and Environment, May 2009
   
• Edwards, T, Wiseman, J. and Williamson L. Liveable and Just - Discussion Paper, May 2009
   
• Edwards, T., Fritze, J. and Wiseman, J. 'Community Wellbeing in a Changing Climate: Challenges and priorities for the Australian community sector', Just Policy, 2009, 50: 80-86
   
• Fritze, J. Williamson, L. and Wiseman J. Community Engagement and Climate Change: Benefits, challenges and strategies, Report for Department of Planning and Community Development, January 2009
   
• Fritze, J, Blashki, G., Burke, S., and Wiseman, J. 'Hope despair and transformation: climate change and the promotion of mental health wellbeing', International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 2008, 2:13
   
• Fritze, J. and Wiseman, J. 'Towards a framework for climate justice'. In: J. Moss (ed.) Climate Change and Social Justice, 2008, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne
   
• Rowe, R. and Thomas, A. Climate Change Adaptation: A framework for local action, Southern Grampians and Glenelg Primary Care Partnership, McCaughey Centre Policy Signpost #3, August 2008
   
• Wiseman, J. and Nolan, T. 'Climate transformation: the next revolution in public health?' Journal of Public Health, 2008, 30: 362-3.
   
• Wiseman, J. 'Climate change and social justice: towards an Australian research and policy agenda', Just Policy, 2007, 46: 8-11
   

Forums and workshops

• Local and Regional Climate Change Responses: Victorian Greenhouse Alliance learning and future directions, Forum hosted by the McCaughey Centre and the Victorian Greenhouse Alliances, Melbourne, July 14, 2010.
   
• Launch of the Liveable and Just Toolkit: A toolkit for local government to address the social and equity impacts of climate change, Victorian Local Governance Association, Melbourne, March 2, 2010 and Mansfield, March 9, 2010
   
• After Copenhagen: The Future of Climate Change Politics and Policy after the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 15), Public Forum, hosted by the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, McCaughey Centre and Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab, University of Melbourne, February 23, 2010
  • Listen to the audio recording of the forum here
   
• Localised solutions: Building capacity and resilience with distributed production systems, conference co-hosted by the Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab and the McCaughey Centre, Melbourne, November 30, 2009
   
• Changing Climate, Changing Communities, conference co-hosted by International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) and the McCaughey Centre, Melbourne, July 31, 2009
   
• Liveable and Just workshop series, June 2009
   
• Communities in a Changing Climate: Social and equity impacts of climate change and the community sector, conference co-hosted by McCaughey Centre and VCOSS, Melbourne, February 25, 2009
   
• Climate Change and Social Justice, conference hosted by Social Justice Initiative, University of Melbourne, April 1, 2008
   
•  Climate change and community engagement roundtables, August, 2008
   

Conferences, seminars and presentations

• Wiseman, J. 'Pathways to a safe climate future: The importance of local leadership and innovation' presentation to Local and Regional Climate Change Responses: Victorian Greenhouse Alliance learning and future directions, Melbourne, July 22, 2010
   
• Wiseman, J. 'Climate change and social justice: The importance of building a fast and equitable pathway to a safe climate future', presentation to Brotherhood of St Laurence Research and Policy Centre seminar series, April 29, 2010
  • View the presentation slides here
   
• Wiseman, J. 'Fear, hope and action: Pathways to a safe climate future' Wettenhall Foundation Lecture, Melbourne, November 19, 2009
   
• Wiseman, J. 'Community resilience, climate change and adaptation' presentation to VCOSS Congress 2009: Protecting social equity when the going gets tough, Victorian Council of Social Service, Melbourne, August 7, 2009
   
• Wiseman, J. 'Fear, hope and transformation: Engaging communities in responding to the challenges of climate change', presentation to Changing Climate, Changing Communities, conference co-hosted by International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) and the McCaughey Centre, Melbourne, July 31, 2009
   
• Wiseman, J and Edwards, T. 'Climate change, health and wellbeing', McCaughey Centre Seminar Series, Melbourne, June 23, 2009.  
  • Recording available here
   
• Wiseman, J. 'Climate change vulnerability and resilience: Conceptual measurement and strategic challenges', presentation to OECD conference: Measuring the Progress of Societies: Key Issues for the Asia and Pacific Region, Kyoto, March 23-24, 2009
   
• Wiseman, J. 'Community Engagement and Climate Change: Benefits, Challenges and Strategies', presentation to Climate Change: Global Risks, Challenges and Decisions, Copenhagen, March 10-12, 2009
   
• Wiseman, J. 'Climate change, community wellbeing and social justice: Implications for community sector action', presentation to Communities in a Changing Climate: Social and equity impacts of climate change and the community sector, conference co-hosted by The McCaughey Centre and VCOSS, Melbourne, February 25, 2009