Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
implementation of associated regulations and planning is patchy and there is
minimal evidence of climate change considerations informing the assessment
of such risks. Land use planning to reduce urban heat island effects remains
very limited. Individual cities are taking steps to enhance the appropriateness of
urban form for hotter conditions, but like other climate change impacts, clearer
state-level guidance is more likely to deliver consistent outcomes.
With over 70
per cent of Australia's population living in just six major cities,
it should be easy to develop adaptation plans that can reduce climate risks for
many millions of people and infrastructure and limit damage to assets worth
billions of dollars. Yet progress on city-based adaptation planning has been slow.
The City of Melbourne's Strategy provides an important exemplar for other
municipalities, but co-ordinated initiatives are needed for entire metropolitan
areas whose governance is fragmented across numerous local authorities. These
planning activities will require both funding and institutional commitment.
Planning for climate change impacts in Australian cities faces numerous
barriers but none of these is insurmountable. Strategies are emerging for dealing
with the uncertainties inherent in future climate projections. Better resourcing
and clearer statutory mandates will make the task of local planning easier and
yield better quality outcomes. Clarification of liability issues and the enactment
of statutory protections for local authorities will clear the path for more coura-
geous adaptation initiatives. Greater public awareness of the need for adaptation
should drive changes in organizational culture and the commitment of individual
civic leaders.
Perhaps most important is the need to build on the experience of past events
and ensure that measures are in place to prevent their recurrence. Major
weather-related disasters provoke national awareness of climate change risks
and the possibility that 'this could happen to us' creates brief opportunities for
preventive action, even in places not directly affected by the event. Our record
of learning from the mistakes of others has not been impressive in other spheres
of resource and environmental management, yet in a Four Degree World, we can
ill afford not to.
Notes
A planning code on sea level rise, storm surge and shoreline vulnerability is currently
under development in Tasmania.
References
Abel N., R. Gorddard, B. Harman, A. Leitch, J. Landridge, A. Ryan and S. Heyenga. 2011.
Sea level rise, coastal development and planned retreat: analytical framework, governance
principles and an Australian case study.
Environmental Science & Policy
14: 279-88.
Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2008.
Australian social trends: population distribution
.
http://
June 2013].
