The challenge
Risks and benefits to society
Energy research at CSIRO supports the Australian government and industry in catalysing Australia's energy transition towards net zero emissions.
Australia’s natural gas resources contribute to Australia’s energy portfolio and are likely to continue playing a role in the energy transition.
There are both risks and benefits for communities living in natural gas development regions. Industry, governments and communities face potential challenges to local environments (including biodiversity, emissions and water), agriculture, regional economies, and health and wellbeing.
Our response
A collaborative and integrated approach
CSIRO's Gas Industry Social and Environmental Research Alliance (GISERA) is a collaboration between CSIRO, commonwealth, state and territory governments, and the gas industry. GISERA was established in 2011 to undertake independent research on the social, economic and environmental impacts of the gas industry.
GISERA’s governance model is specifically designed to ensure the delivery of impartial, peer-reviewed science from CSIRO researchers and other research organisations. Research projects address community concerns related to agriculture, land and infrastructure, greenhouse gas emissions and air quality, ground and surface waters, biodiversity and regional socio-economic issues.
The results
Research on impacts to inform decision-making
After more than a decade and nearly 100 research projects, CSIRO researchers have conducted a broad range of studies ranging from the collection of baseline data and long-term studies, to using innovative methods and developing models to support on-the-ground decision making.
CSIRO’s GISERA is also providing a legacy of knowledge to enable communities to better understand the potential social and environmental impacts of future resource development.
Communicating research outcomes
A large part of GISERA’s work is to communicate and engage with a broad range of stakeholders impacted by onshore gas activities across Queensland, New South Wales, the Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia.
Our aim is to inform governments, policy makers, regulators, industry and regional communities of our key research outcomes.
Transparency around partnerships, funding and governance form a crucial part in ensuring our peer-reviewed research can be used to support decisions about onshore gas activities, that can help manage their effects on society, the economy and the environment.
Discover more
Find more information about CSIRO’s GISERA via our governance, research and resources web pages.