www.geelongaustralia.com.au CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION STRATEGY SUMMARY & ROADMAP Climate Change Adaptation Strategy Summary & Roadmap DRAFT FOR PUBLIC CONSULTATION to read our full strategy, also see the Climate Change Adaptation Strategy 1
The City of Greater Geelong Climate Change Adaptation Strategy was undertaken with the collaboration of Net Balance. OCTOBER 2010 Level 4, 460 Bourke Street Melbourne, VIC 3000 Australia T +61 3 8641 6400 F +61 3 9600 1295 www.netbalance.com
Table of Contents Introduction 3 What the City of Greater Geelong is doing 4 How the City of Greater Geelong is achieving these Strategic Directions 6 Mainstreaming consideration of climate change risks and adaptation throughout Council 6 Adopting decision processes relating to adaptation that produce robust decisions 7 Forming extensive external networks 8 Continuous monitoring, review and improvement of climate impact risk procedures 8 Priority Work Areas 9 Appendix A Priority Work Areas 10 Appendix B Cross Council Actions Roadmap 13 Appendix C Priority Work Areas Roadmap 15 Appendix D: Adaptation Tools Available 17
DRAFT FOR PUBLIC CONSULTATION Introduction Robust planning for uncertain climate futures The realities and uncertainties - of climate change The reality is that climate change is happening higher global temperatures are locked in, even if we could stop all greenhouse gas emissions today The uncertainties are myriad it is impossible to accurately predict how much our climate will change and what the exact impacts will be. The challenge for planners and decision makers The challenge is clear it is too late to prevent at least some climate change so we have to manage risk, while at the same time pursuing aggressive mitigation actions But how do you plan for the future when you don t know which future scenario you are planning for? Traditional decision making tools are designed to cope with a limited range of scenarios making them less effective in planning for climate change. Our approach Our approach based on the international risk management standard (ISO 31000), which defines risk as the effect of uncertainty upon objectives, and has been adapted by the City of Greater Geelong to better suit the specific issues and uncertainties presented by climate change. Adopting this approach will assist City of Greater Geelong develop climate change adaptation strategies that remain viable under the widest range of possible climate futures we can effectively plan for. 4 Climate Change Adaptation Strategy Summary & Roadmap
What is this document This Climate Change Adaptation Strategy Summary and Roadmap is designed to be read alongside the full City of Greater Geelong Adaptation Strategy. It provides a high level overview of the rationale behind the Adaptation Strategy, the Strategic Objectives which underpin the Adaptation Strategy, and briefly summarises the key actions to be implemented to achieve the Strategic Objectives. Finally, it provides a road map of these actions. For further detail, please see the accompanying City of Greater Geelong Climate Change Adaptation Strategy. Why climate change adaptation is important Most action on climate change to-date has focused on mitigation, or the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. However, as we realise the extent of possible impacts and recognise we are already locked in to a certain amount of climate change, adaptation also becomes important. Adaptation, unlike mitigation, is concerned with how we manage impacts caused by climate change. The two concepts are related because the more mitigation that occurs, the less adaptation we will need. Why climate change risk is a local issue Although mitigation is best addressed at the global scale (through international frameworks and nationallevel carbon policies), adaptation is best managed at the local scale as this is where the impacts of climate change will be directly felt. This means that local governments in Australia have a leading role in adaptation. The earlier they start to plan for this role and what climate change will mean for their communities, the better prepared they will be when climate change impacts become more severe. Future climate change will affect local government in Australia in many ways. In particular, through decreased rainfall, heatwaves in summer and increased severity and frequency of floods, storms, storm surges and bushfires. These events are likely to impact directly and indirectly on residents, businesses and visitors throughout the City of Greater Geelong. They will likely have consequences for Council s services including infrastructure provision, recreation, health, planning, natural resource management and water services. CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION STRATEGY SUMMARY & ROADMAP Adaptation to future climate change is essential for a number of reasons: there is broad agreement in the international scientific community that the world is already locked-in to a certain amount of climate change, regardless of international mitigation efforts these locked in changes, even if we stopped emitting greenhouse gases today, could see a global temperature rise of at least 1.5 o C by 2030 global emissions today are higher than previously forecast and the rate of emissions could accelerate further, reducing our ability to avoid dangerous climate changes. This means that no matter how effective any global greenhouse mitigation strategy is, we must prepare ourselves and our community for inevitable climate change. to read our full strategy, also see the Climate Change Adaptation Strategy 5
DRAFT FOR PUBLIC CONSULTATION Why climate change adaptation planning is challenging Climate change adaptation presents us with new issues for risk management and decision-making. These relate primarily to the extensive uncertainty around both the impacts and consequences of climate change. Even though the climatic trends are undeniable and extremely worrying, there remains uncertainty over: the timing of future climate changes when will they occur the magnitude of such changes exactly how severe will they be how the community will respond to climate impacts how vulnerable they are, and how easily they can cope with the impacts. Recent analysis of global climate modelling efforts suggest that while climate models will improve substantially over the coming decades, it is unlikely that these improvements will reduce the level of uncertainty. This is particularly the case at local and regional scales, where the majority of adaptation planning will occur. This creates an additional burden for decision-makers who will be looking to such projections to guide their decisions. Despite this, City of Greater Geelong planners and decision-makers must still act to respond to climate change, and cannot be paralysed by this uncertainty. Adaptation requires careful planning on multiple timescales. Many adaptation options are often available with very different costs and benefits. These must be evaluated and prioritised, and real trade-offs made, despite uncertainties that cannot be resolved in the timeframes available to make decisions. It is the role of the Adaptation Strategy to provide Council with the tools and capacity to resolve some of these seemingly intractable issues, and allow the City of Greater Geelong to move ahead with preparing for climate change despite the deep uncertainty. Clifton Springs, Corio Bay Geelong Australia 6 Climate Change Adaptation Strategy Summary & Roadmap
What the City of Greater Geelong is doing In order to tackle this problem, the City of Greater Geelong has adopted an approach to climate change adaptation that accepts and works with the constraints and challenges posed by climate change. In particular, it aims to build the overall capacity of Council to make decisions that are robust to future climate change. Decisions that are as insensitive as possible to the uncertainties that surround future climate. These objectives have been used to underpin the actions implemented through the Adaptation Strategy. Details of these actions are provided in the following two sections. Section 3 contains an outline of more general, Council-wide actions, which relate to the processes surrounding climate change adaptation and risks. Section 4 provides description of priority work areas, where immediate Council attention is required, and includes a list of specific actions under each. More detail is available in the accompanying full Strategy document. CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION STRATEGY SUMMARY & ROADMAP Council has developed these Strategic Objectives to guide future adaptation planning: 1. Lead the City of Greater Geelong community in adapting appropriately to climate change. 2. Build awareness and understanding of climate change across Council and within the community. 3. Acknowledge the links between climate change and other challenges and opportunities for the City of Greater Geelong. 4. Plan for decisions that remain viable under the widest possible range of climate futures. 5. Use lessons from the results of the decisions to inform better decisions in the future. 6. Link with others to drive understanding of and action on climate change adaptation. 7. Implement solutions that: a. are cost effective b. are transparent and defensible c. recognise the needs of vulnerable groups d. ensure equitable outcomes. to read our full strategy, also see the Climate Change Adaptation Strategy 7
DRAFT FOR PUBLIC CONSULTATION How the City of Greater Geelong is achieving these Strategic Directions Supporting the delivery of these strategic objectives requires the following broad actions by Council. These include: Mainstream an awareness of climate change risks and adaptation responses across all Council divisions. Adopt robust decision-making processes for adaptation decisions across all Council divisions. Form extensive networks both internally and externally. This includes strong working relationships with other authorities, community groups, and business sectors. Establish a process for continuous monitoring, review and improvement of the processes established under this Adaptation Strategy. More detailed information on these areas follows. Mainstreaming consideration of climate change risks and adaptation throughout Council Climate change is a major cross-cutting issue for local governments, affecting nearly every area of Councils service delivery, particularly those areas with longer-term planning requirements. This is why it is essential that consideration of climate change impacts is incorporated into Council s day-to-day decision processes. Such integration is the only way to ensure the Adaptation Strategy does not become shelfware that is, a report that does not lead to any practical action. This requires a level of awareness of climate change risks across all Council employees, as well as processes that facilitate and encourage mainstreaming of adaptation issues. Successful implementation of the adaptation strategy will come from having it become everyone s everyday job. The adaptation strategy recommends a number of actions designed to facilitate incorporating adaptation awareness into Council s day-to-day decision processes: forming a Cross Council Adaptation Working Group, designed to encourage and facilitate cooperation across Council, break down traditional barriers, and think about adaptation and climate change risks in a more holistic way clearly defining roles and responsibilities within Council relating to climate change risks and adaptation making information on climate change risks and adaptation actions easily accessible to all Council employees on a centralised data-base running division-level risk workshops providing a process to ensure the implications of climate change are considered for existing and future Council initiatives conducting a Council-wide awareness campaign to accompany the release of the Adaptation Strategy. Climate adaptation is an ongoing, iterative process. The first priority of the Adaptation Strategy is to ensure that it assists Council employees develop their own capacity to continually refine and develop their adaptation plans and actions. Through this, the Adaptation Strategy aims to build climate resilience in the Council and communities it serves. 8 Climate Change Adaptation Strategy Summary & Roadmap
5. Strategic objectives to drive Council action Adopt decision processes relating to adaptation that produce robust decisions, and recognise the broader complexities of climate Climate change presents a challenging context within which to plan and make decisions, given the complexity and uncertainty associated with climate change impacts. The Adaptation Strategy and its supporting documents aim to provide tools for climate change risk assessment and adaptation planning that explicitly acknowledge these factors for practical adoption by Council divisions and departments. The Adaptation Strategy emphasises the need for all of Council to develop robust adaptation planning strategies that: remain viable under the widest range of probable futures are most insensitive to broken assumptions increase flexibility and keep options open maximise their value when planned as part of a portfolio of actions build resilience and redundancy into both physical, organisational and social systems can be implemented within planned budgets or are based on evidence that is good enough to justify additional investment to a third party avoid becoming shelfware, that is reports that do not lead to practical action. To begin developing this capacity in-council, the Adaptation Strategy includes the following recommendations: A recommendation for continual monitoring and review of adaptation actions, risks and associated processes to ensure any new information, lessons learnt or potential improvements are reincorporated into the Adaptation Strategy.al networks Forming extensive external networks Climate change will present new challenges to governance structures, regulatory authorities and communities. Further, many of these challenges will be unlike those previously encountered, limiting our ability to act based on past experience or existing frameworks. An ongoing process of learning will be required as new approaches are trialled, monitored and reviewed. New levels of coordination will be required to meet these new challenges and new relationships formed, to ensure that any such lessons are shared between all relevant organisations. Linkages will also be required to develop solutions to issues that cross institutional boundaries, to pool resources and minimise duplication of effort. A key element in establishing networks also involves community engagement with the Adaptation Strategy. This has been identified as a priority work area for the City of Greater Geelong. The Adaptation Strategy underscores the importance of community engagement on a number of levels to ensure: risks identified adequately capture community concerns, and remain up-to-date and reflect the reality of community experiences the community understands the consequences of climate change and the roles they can perform in minimising its impacts the community understands the extent of Council s responsibilities and capabilities in responding to climate change Council establishes and maintains contact with and awareness of particularly vulnerable groups within the municipality. More detail on the types of communication required are found in: the priority work area Building Community Engagement, described below and also in the Adaptation Strategy the section of the Adaptation Strategy that provides additional detail on the need to form links with external stakeholders. CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION STRATEGY SUMMARY & ROADMAP to read our full strategy, also see the Climate Change Adaptation Strategy 9
DRAFT FOR PUBLIC CONSULTATION Continuous monitoring, review and improvement of climate impact risk procedures Implementing the Adaptation Strategy is an ongoing process. It will require continuous monitoring, review and improvement of the processes established. Many challenges associated with managing climate change will be unlike anything previously encountered. This will limit Council s ability to act based on past experience or existing frameworks. The best way to proceed is to ensure an ongoing process of learning as new approaches are trialled, monitored and reviewed. There is no convenient end-point to identifying and responding to the City of Greater Geelong s climate change risks. This is particularly certain in light of Council s long-term exposure to sea level rise, but also because our understanding of both climate change impacts and how they interact with other forces will evolve over time. This requires the risks to be regularly revisited, and reconsidered, in light of new circumstances or information. Priority Work Areas This Strategy also includes Priority Work Areas for Council. The actions required under these Priority Work Areas are included in the Roadmap, with a high level summary of each contained in Appendix A and a more detailed description provided in the Adaptation Strategy. These areas are: Coastal Planning Asset Management Emergency Management Vulnerable People Open Space Biodiversity Building Community Engagement Caption Required 10 Climate Change Adaptation Strategy Summary & Roadmap
Appendix A To assist in prioritizing action and in helping Council start to implement adaptation planning, Net Balance identified a number of overarching Council priority work areas. These emerged during the analysis of the cross-council workshops output and in an evaluation of feedback. These work areas contain specific risks that span Council departments. As such, there is generally not any clear division of responsibility for managing these areas. The interpretation and formulation of the specific risks falling under each of the overarching work areas is likely to vary based on each department s area of focus and ability to influence or manage the risk. Specific actions recommended under each work area are provided in Appendix C. These work areas are not intended to be a comprehensive list of immediate adaptation needs, but rather to provide an initial guide of actions that can be undertaken now and points for further discussion and cooperation between Council divisions. Because these areas span multiple divisions and departments coordination will be required to ensure a consistent and efficient management approach. Further detail on the priority work areas can be found in the Adaptation Strategy. CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION STRATEGY SUMMARY & ROADMAP Priority work area Coastal planning Objectives Council will: Coastal planning is the most pressing climate change priority for the City of Greater Geelong, given the region s soft erodible beaches and exposed housing stock. The risks that this area embodies not only relate to current and future planning decisions, but also challenging issues relating to the impact on existing developments and property rights. incorporate consideration of climate change in coastal planning decisions through existing planning tools advocate to State Government for changes to the SPPF that support strong local government action on climate change adaptation raise community awareness of the risks to coastal developments associated with climate change work with local and State government networks to better understand the impacts of climate change on planning and how to manage such impacts work with local government networks to determine appropriate responses and mechanisms to ensure appropriate coastal development in the future. SEE ROADMAP IN APPENDIX FOR ACTION LIST ss Asset management Council has responsibility for assets ranging from buildings, to local roads, to drainage systems. Given this extensive portfolio, asset management is an area where Council is particularly exposed to climate change risks. Depending on their location, these assets are potentially exposed to the impacts of climate change through extreme weather events as well as other long term processes such as coastal erosion, sea level rise and drought. Council will ensure its decision-processes relating to assets take into account potential future climate changes. Council will achieve this by: Integrating robust decision-making tools into capital asset decision-making, including: during planning stages for new assets, considering future maintenance costs under changed climatic conditions as part of project evaluation prior to major upgrades or retrofits, considering the cost of ongoing maintenance under changed climatic conditions as part of project evaluation. Identifying long-term climate risk management as a key criterion for business cases. SEE ROADMAP IN APPENDIX FOR ACTION LIST ss to read our full strategy, also see the Climate Change Adaptation Strategy 11
DRAFT FOR PUBLIC CONSULTATION Priority work area Emergency management Council plays an important role in emergency management through the coordination and updating of the Municipal Emergency Management Plan (MEMP). The purpose of the MEMP is to protect communities and assist them to recover from the impacts of emergency situations such as floods, fires and storms. As the frequency and intensity of these events increases under climate change, there will be additional burdens placed on the MEMP and Council s role within it. Objectives Council will: ensure the MEMP remains current and covers potential emergency situations anticipated to arise from a changing climate allocate Council resources appropriately to ensure they are sufficient to respond and recover whilst delivering adequate Council community services work with other relevant agencies to ensure a coordinated approach to emergency management work with the community volunteers to enhance understanding of the projected increases in extreme weather events. SEE ROADMAP IN APPENDIX FOR ACTION LIST ss Vulnerable people Council already plays an active role in caring for vulnerable groups in the community. These groups are likely to be worse affected when exposed to climate change. This may place additional demands upon Council services, and generate the need for new services. Council will: identify and track vulnerable sectors and/or groups educate residents who are vulnerable to climate change on the potential impacts and appropriate responses. assist vulnerable residents to prepare for climate change. establish procedures to assist vulnerable people in climaterelated emergencies ensure Council policies and programmes do not unnecessarily or disproportionately impact vulnerable groups. SEE ROADMAP IN APPENDIX FOR ACTION LIST ss Open space Open space provides multiple social, environmental and economic benefits to the community through as recreation, education and tourism opportunities. Much of this open space will be placed under stress by climate change, creating additional resourcing burdens for Council. Council will: continue to provide recreational opportunities for residents through all seasons cost-effectively maintain all open sporting fields to an adequate standard. SEE ROADMAP IN APPENDIX FOR ACTION LIST ss 12 Climate Change Adaptation Strategy Summary & Roadmap
Priority work area Biodiversity Objectives Council will: CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION STRATEGY SUMMARY & ROADMAP The City of Greater Geelong is physically diverse and contains many different ecosystems, a significant proportion of which contain endangered or significant species. Climate change impacts have the potential to significantly impact the region s biodiversity, through affecting ecosystem resilience and shifting appropriate habitat ranges. build knowledge of both the distribution of species in the City of Greater Geelong and their current vulnerabilities work with Council s committees of management and other interest groups to improve resilience of and preserve biodiversity and open space areas work with and educate the owners of land on the importance of biodiversity and its maintenance create and maintain biodiversity corridors to maintain and enhance biodiversity adaptation. SEE ROADMAP IN APPENDIX FOR ACTION LIST ss Building community engagement Community has a large role to play in adaptation. For example, it can enhance or create additional obstacles to planned Council adaptation actions. There can be social and psychological barriers to adaptation that need to be identified and worked through. Alternatively, the stress associated with extreme climatic events may itself have social and psychological impacts. To facilitate working together and to optimise the benefits of the relationship between Council and the community, the broader community needs to understand Council s role in managing and promoting adaptation, and Council needs to understand community needs and concerns. Council will: Develop clear lines of responsibility in relation to particular risks, including not only Council but other responsible agencies and/or authorities, and ensure public access to these lines of responsibility Clearly define its role in preparing for and responding to climate change by working within Council and also with other agencies and/or authorities Work with the community to build awareness of Council s role in addressing climate change and the inherent uncertainties associated with climate change Establish and reinforce links to: State and Federal government Water authorities and CMAs Committees of management SEE ROADMAP IN APPENDIX FOR ACTION LIST ss to read our full strategy, also see the Climate Change Adaptation Strategy 13
DRAFT FOR PUBLIC CONSULTATION Appendix B Cross Council Actions Roadmap Mainstreaming climate change adaptation through Council Implementing robust decision-making processes Forming extensive networks Establishing processes for continuous monitoring and review Now-2 years 2-5 years 5-15 years Form Cross Council Adaptation Working Group Clearly define roles and responsibilities in accordance with the Adaptation Strategy Roll out communications campaign on adaptation strategy Create centralised climate change adaptation risk database, linked to the existing risk management system Draft the Council Profile document, describing current trends and areas of concern for CoGG Define a threshold for Council decisions in relation to climate change adaptation Establish processes to ensure climate change adaptation is considered in all Council decisions Conduct division-level risk workshops Review the effectiveness of the Cross Council Adaptation Working Group Review and update Council Profile document Maintain/update database Continuously monitor and review success of mainstreaming climate change adaptation decision-making across Council divisions Review/update Climate Adaptation Strategy at five year intervals Start including documents and processes contained in Adaptation Toolkit into Council processes, particularly in relation to the Priority Work Areas Review Asset Management Strategy New major projects include climate adaptation risks and ranges for whole of life costs Include climate risk and adaptation study in all business cases for new major projects Refine the implementation of the recommendations of the Adaptation Strategy and the Adaptation Toolkit Examine potential insurance premium changes and impact of new asset management approaches to premiums Regularly review changes to Asset Management Strategy Evaluate effect of including climate risk and adaptation study in all business cases for new major projects Community Engage and gain feedback on adaptation responses Discuss and gain feedback on the Adaptation Strategy Develop media release to cover the release of the Adaptation Strategy (eg the Community Update) Develop information products for climate change Broader Actively work with State and Federal Agencies on issues relating to adaptation Build upon existing links with Barwon Water, DSE, WAGA, DCC, DPCD, Coastal Climate Change Advisory Committee, insurance companies Community Seek feedback on effectiveness of information products on climate change Continue to engage and gain feedback on adaptation responses Broader Identify other organisations or agencies with which City of Greater Geelong should establish stronger strategic links Review list of other organisations or agencies with which City of Greater Geelong should establish stronger strategic links Evaluate success of network building efforts Cross Council Adaptation Working Group to establish processes for continuous monitoring and review of the Adaptation Strategy Continued monitoring and review of Strategy, with improvements implemented 14 Climate Change Adaptation Strategy Summary & Roadmap
Appendix C Priority risk areas roadmap Begin to examine long-term viable options for addressing sea level rise risks, from defensive structures to relocation Review of tools developed for financial analysis, procedures for approvals of upgrades/new assets Evaluate success of use of alternative options for surfacing active open space areas to ensure they are more resilient in the face of drought and extreme heat events Evaluate success of use of stormwater reuse options for open space (if applicable) Review how effectively climate change scenarios have been incorporated into long term plans and budgets for managing and maintaining open space in Greater Geelong Undertake cost-effectiveness assessment of actions to manage passive and active open space CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION STRATEGY SUMMARY & ROADMAP Coastal planning Asset management Emergency management Open space Continue participation in the Coastal Climate Change Advisory Committee Work with state government agencies to seek improved information relating to sea level rise, approaches to asset management and strategic planning and to advocate for financial support further work Continue to examine how existing planning tools can be appropriately used to incorporate climate change considerations Maintain awareness of actions of other coastal councils and VCAT decisions Review current asset management and maintenance planning documents and conduct a survey of existing Council assets to determine exposure to changed climatic conditions Review current procedures for approval of upgrades/new assets to ensure consistent and robust decision making approach. Develop a tool that allows for comparison between the financial benefits of upgrading or building new assets (including changes to insurance premiums). Continually monitor research and technological improvements, operational standards and materials to ensure Council is at the forefront of asset management Include consideration of climate change in the 2010 review of the Emergency Management Plan Establish links with and provide information about the impacts of climate change to emergency service volunteer organisations Draw from lessons learnt in disaster management and recovery, for example the recent Bushfires Royal Commission Review open space strategy Review currency of, and continue to meet water saving targets within, Council s Sustainable Water Use Plan Explore linkages to other CCL strategies eg urban design guidelines Conduct an analysis of tree benefits in rural/urban areas, including the implementation of street tree strategy Continue investigating alternative options for surfacing open space areas to ensure they are more resilient in the face of drought and extreme weather events Continue investigating stormwater reuse options for open space (passive and active) Take proactive approach to planning and design of open space, taking into account extreme events, tree placement and watering requirements Review sea-level rise risks and re-examine risky locations Continue to plan for agile/flexible responses for new and emerging issues Form new links with other councils and regional bodies to liaise with State Government for guidance and change in relation to coastal planning Implement community outreach initiatives to build understanding of the planning implications of climate change on coastal development Seek a better understanding of liability and insurance issues associated with Council assets, and include this as part of asset management strategy review Continue to review the asset management and maintenance documents and results of asset survey on exposure to climate change Continue to review procedures for approval of upgrades/new assets to ensure consistent and robust decision making approach Continue to work with the Office of the Emergency Services Commissioner and other emergency response agencies to improve understanding of how climate change will impact emergency preparation, response and recovery activities. Incorporate results into EMP Incorporate climate change scenarios into long term plans and budgets for managing and maintaining open space in Greater Geelong Continue to meet water saving targets within Council s Sustainable Water Use Plan or any other applicable target PART 1 Now-2 years 2-5 years 5-15 years to read our full strategy, also see the Climate Change Adaptation Strategy 15
DRAFT FOR PUBLIC CONSULTATION Appendix C Priority risk areas roadmap (cont.) Building community engagement Biodiversity Vulnerable populations PART 2 Ensure targeted engagement Develop relationships with community groups to assist with the communication of the uncertainties associated with climate change within the community Engage with and gain feedback on the Climate Change Adaptation Strategy from relevant community groups Engage with state government departments and agencies to develop communications material to promote the Climate Change Adaptation Strategy within the community Investigate the integration of biodiversity outcomes into fire reduction strategies to minimise the impact of controlled burns Investigate options for adaptation corridors and species migration, including the possibility of using roadsides Work with Committees of Management and other relevant organisations to create awareness of the potential impacts of climate change on biodiversity in Greater Geelong Review Biodiversity Strategy to ensure it adequately incorporates climate change impacts Prepare and distribute specific information to assist vulnerable groups to prepare for the impacts of climate change that may affect them the most, and how they can best respond and recover Work with the community to identify residents who may be vulnerable to weather related emergencies and their ability to recover Work with community and other support groups to establish networks that aim to build awareness and capacity within the community to assist vulnerable people in climate-related emergencies Ensure MEMP adequately incorporates the unique and often higher needs of vulnerable groups/sectors and creates links between emergency responses and these groups Now-2 years As part of the iterative nature of adaptation, Council should strive to build adaptive capacity within the community, through pursuing Council Strategic Objectives such as community wellbeing, growing the economy, and developing a sustainable built and natural environment command and clearly defining roles and responsibilities Build relationships with other agencies and/or authorities. Use these to explore scenarios with them to determine areas of confusion or overlap in terms of responsibilities. Use these as the basis for reviewing chains of Provide information about the potential impacts of climate change on biodiversity to the Greater Geelong community Develop a research project on the likely impacts of climate change on Council s biodiversity assets. Part of this is to form a benchmark study of the City of Greater Geelong s biodiversity assets and their resilience, to identify key stressors currently impacting their resilience and to identify priority assets requiring more active management Continue to work with community and other support groups to establish networks that aim to build awareness and capacity within the community to assist vulnerable people in climate-related emergencies Review whether the MEMP adequately incorporates the unique and often higher needs of vulnerable groups/sectors 2-5 years Evaluate community engagement work using cost-effectiveness tools Evaluate effectiveness of biodiversity management approaches under a changing climate Evaluate effectiveness of approaches during extreme weather events 5-15 years 16 Climate Change Adaptation Strategy Summary & Roadmap
Appendix D Adaptation Tools Available Net Balance is developing an Adaptation Toolkit. This toolkit consists of a number of manuals, worksheets and primers to be provided to Council by Net Balance to assist in translating the Adaptation Strategy into action, and to provide resources for ongoing work and capacity building. CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION STRATEGY SUMMARY & ROADMAP Each element of the toolkit is described in the table below. Document 1. Net Balance Risk and Adaptation Action Identification Manual Description This is a how to guide that provides an in-depth assessment of the type of information required and the questions to ask, with explanation, for: identifying risks evaluating and prioritising risks analysing risks and risk context identifying and analysing adaptation actions prioritising adaptation actions, including the three pass assessment tool. 2. How to run a risk workshop A high level document explaining the logistics of how to run a risk workshop, including who should be included at which stage, expected outputs from each stage and general process explanations. 3. Climate risk list This is a list of risks and potential adaptation actions drawn from a review of relevant literature and tailored to Council s circumstances. This is not meant to be a comprehensive list of risks, but rather a starting point for developing Council s risk register, to be workshopped, taken through the risk assessment process and then reviewed on a regular basis. 4. Risk context worksheet This is a worksheet designed to assist Council employees work through the questions associated with determining the context for priority risks. 5. Adaptation action worksheet This is a worksheet designed to assist Council employees work through in the questions associated with analysing adaptation actions. 6. Compatibility Questionnaire This is a tool designed to facilitate consistency across Council by ensuring that all relevant Council projects and decisions factor in climate change risks and adaptation actions. to read our full strategy, also see the Climate Change Adaptation Strategy 17
PO Box 104 Geelong, VIC 3220 Australia T +61 3 5272 5272 F +61 3 5272 4277 www.geelongaustralia.com.au Level 4, 460 Bourke Street Melbourne, VIC 3000 Australia T +61 3 8641 6400 F +61 3 9600 1295 www.netbalance.com