Prize Overview

Climate change is reshaping communities, infrastructure, and the future of work across Brazil, Australia, and the Pacific Islands. Brazil has experienced a 460% increase in climate-related disasters since the 1990s, from the drought-vulnerable Amazon to flood-prone urban centers (Brazilian Ocean Literacy Alliance). Australia faces harsher fire seasons and intensifying extreme weather, while the Pacific Islands will experience at least 15 centimeters of sea level rise by the 2050s (NASA). At the same time, these countries’ energy systems and natural resource management require dramatic transformation to meet growing demand while minimizing environmental impact.

This transition to low-carbon and resilient infrastructure creates unprecedented workforce demands and opportunities. Jobs in renewable energy recorded the highest annual growth rate in 2023, reaching 16.2 million globally, with projections suggesting this could need to double by 2030 (International Labour Organization). Yet communities often lack access to the training, resources, and employment opportunities needed to join this workforce or build local capacity for resilience. This gap is particularly acute in underserved communities across these regions, where climate impacts hit hardest but pathways for skilled employment remain limited.

Examples of the many areas for climate resilience technology and innovation include AI-powered early warning systems and climate risk assessment tools, infrastructure hardening, flexible microgrids to maintain essential services, and broader deployment of nature-based solutions rooted in Indigenous and ancestral knowledge. When combined with new workforce pathways, climate resilience becomes an economic opportunity that strengthens communities while protecting ecosystems.

The Macquarie Community Resilience Prize seeks scalable, technology-enabled solutions that address these interconnected challenges across Brazil, Australia, and Pacific Islands, simultaneously strengthening climate resilience and developing the skilled workforce for the transition to a green economy. Solutions that integrate ancestral and Indigenous knowledge are especially encouraged to apply.

Prize Dimensions

The Macquarie Community Resilience Prize seeks solutions that address both community resilience to climate change and workforce training, including solutions that:

Address the following community resilience dimensions:

• Enhance infrastructure resilience for electrical, water, and other technical systems.

• Reduce community risks from hazards such as wildfires, flooding, drought, and extreme heat.

• Strengthen climate-adapted agriculture and food systems, particularly those that protect and restore natural ecosystems.

And the following workforce and skilling dimensions:

• Train and upskill workers in trades for enabling infrastructure resilience and adapting communities.

• Provide tools and opportunities that allow current workers to adopt climate resilience work within their portfolios.

• Enable new funding and employment models to support long-term community resilience and transition work.