The City of Melbourne  and Lake Macquarie City Council have been named among National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility’s (NCCARF) first Climate Adaptation Champions.


The new NCCARF Adaptation Champions program highlights the actions and achievements of individuals, groups, communities and organisations that are demonstrating leadership and innovation in adapting to, and preparing for, the impacts of climate change.

 

NCCARF Director Professor Jean Palutikof said the Adaptation Champions program recognised people and groups who are showing leadership and taking concrete steps to change behaviour, techniques, businesses practices and policies to adapt to an uncertain future.


“Late last year we issued a call through the thousands of members in our networks of climate change adaptation researchers and practitioners in every Australian state and territory,” she said.


“We invited them to nominate people and organisations that are already implementing creative, practical, grassroots actions to adapt their businesses or communities to climate change.”

 

The Adaptation Champions were selected by the NCCARF Management Committee, which comprises 10 leading Australian climate change adaptation researchers and policy makers.

 

City of Melbourne

The City of Melbourne was named as a Climate Adaptation Champion for its Climate Change Action Plan.  Since 2007, it has undertaken a comprehensive assessment of Melbourne’s future risks from climate change. It has developed an Adaptation Strategy for the municipality and engaged a wide number of stakeholders in the process, including having the strategy peer reviewed by the CSIRO. A Climate Change Adaptation Action Plan to implement the actions outlined in the strategy has been developed and endorsed by Council.


The City of Melbourne is strategically focussed on taking action to prepare for climate change and is investing millions in climate change policy and initiatives.
Some of the adaptive work underway includes:

  • The development of a world-class inundation visualisation tool to model the likely sea-level rise and extreme rainfall
  • Scenario building to prepare for and adapt to the likely impacts of inundation
  • The implementation of an Extreme Heat Strategy and action plan to minimise the risk of serious heatrelated illnesses
  • A retrofit program to make commercial buildings in the city climate resilient, as well as mitigating carbon emissions
  • A series of community consultations to engage and empower the community on climate change issues
  • The development of a best practice adaptation model for Local Governments with the Victorian Centre for Climate Change Adaptation Research
  • Exploration of how the planning scheme can be utilised for climate adaptive measures
  • The development of a world-leading Urban Heat Island Strategy to mitigate against the effects of UHI in the city.

 

Lake Macquarie City Council

Since 2007 the Council has actively researched and taken action to adapt to predicted climate changes, with a priority on the effects of sea level rise and increased flooding.


These actions include:

  • Being one of the first Australia local governments to adopt a sea level rise policy and action plan (August 2008). The policy adopted a predicted rise of 0.91 metres by 2100, and incorporates this prediction in Council’s risk and planning decisions.
  • Developing planning guidelines for foreshore areas affected by predicted sea level rises, placing restrictions in new development areas, and increasing requirements for floor levels and other structural adaptations in existing development areas.
  • Placing a sea level rise notification on land certificates (Section 149 Certificates) for all coastal and foreshore properties below 3 metres AHD (July 2009)
  • Engaging communities vulnerable to sea level rise (Dora Creek, Swansea, Belmont) in a community empowerment process to discuss and develop local climate change adaptation plans (Dora Creek Plan adopted September 2009)
  • Partnering with Sydney University’s Architecture Faculty to develop 2100 vision for adaptable urban design and building designs in communities vulnerable to sea level rise (2009 & 2010)
  • Completing a study to understand the response of estuarine foreshores to sea level rise and developing the eShorance web-tool to assist planners and residents to understand to potential impact of sea level rise on coastal estuaries http://www.lakemac.com.au/eshoreance/
  • Studying the effects of sea level rise on coastal and estuarine wetlands and making recommendations for wetland protection and adaptation
  • Reviewing the Lake flood plan to incorporate increased sea levels and rainfall intensity
  • Studying the effect of increased sea levels on Lake Macquarie entrance channel and lake tides
  • Conducting a first-pass review of coastal hazard zones incorporating predicted sea level rises, with a more comprehensive review in 2011
  • Integrating sea level rise planning and adaptation measures in planning instruments (DCP and LEP) in 2011


Winners

 

Individual Category

 

  • Sid Plant — Farmer, Darling Downs, Qld
  • Norm Lenehan — Coastal & Flood Management Planner, Eurobodalla Shire Council, NSW
  • Peter Boyer — Journalist, blogger and speaker-presenter, Hobart, Tas

 

Organisational Category

 

  • Lake Macquarie City Council, NSW (Response to Sea Level Rise Initiative)
  • City of Melbourne, Vic (Climate Change Action Plan)
  • Climate Champion Initiative (A program of Managing Climate Variability and Grains Research Development Corporation)

 

Finalists


Individual Category

 

  • Allen Kearns - CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences
  • Steve Wilson - Hunter and Central Coast Councils NSW (for the Hunter and Central Coast Regional Environmental Management Strategy)
  • Rachel Brown - Macquarie Franklin, Tas
  • Melanie Bainbridge - Western Australia Local Government Association, WA (for the Adaptation Toolkit)

 

Organisational Category

 

  • Farm Services Victoria, Vic (for ‘Climate Dogs’)
  • Townsville City Council, QLD (for ‘Identifying Sustainability Behaviours’)
  • Ku-ring-gai Municipal Council, NSW
  • Port L.O.C.A.L.S (Local Organisations & Communities Actioning & Leading Sustainability) Port Kembla, NSW
  • Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (for the Great Barrier Reef Climate Change Action Plan)
  • Great Barrier Reef Foundation (for its research portfolio)
  • Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council (EMRC), WA for ‘Future proofing Perth’s Eastern Region – Adapting to Climate Change’
  • Zurich Insurance (for training insurance brokers to help SMEs adapt)
  • Australian Council of Social Service (for training community welfare sector professionals in climate change risks and adaptation)

 

The full list of winners, and details of the initiatives, can be seen here.