Councillor's Comment - Aaron Stallard

The community has told us that looking after the environment is the most important activity of Council.

This is reflected in Council’s stated priority of fostering a healthy environment and a climate resilient, low-emissions community. These are shared goals and aspirations.

In this context, this year is a landmark in the region’s drive toward a sustainable future. In the next few months, Council will decide on adopting a Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan and begin climate adaptation planning in collaboration with the community. This work will deliver benefits for generations to come.

The Climate Change Strategy is a blueprint for investing in our future. It shows a sustainable pathway for our natural and built environments, transport, energy, food production, and waste – all in the context of strong partnerships and knowledge sharing. We can make gains in biodiversity, energy security, ecosystem health and equity at the same time as we address climate change.

The strategy will include a community-wide emissions reduction target that is based on scientific evidence and aligned with the targets of government and many of our largest companies. The target shows the emissions reduction needed annually, starting today.

Once the strategy is adopted, the real work begins as we focus on funding and implementation. This is an all-of-community endeavour, and Council’s challenge is to move at speed, prioritise climate action and embed it in Council’s activities.

In addition to adopting the climate strategy, Council is starting adaptation planning, which is the process of working with the community to assess climate risks, such as sea-level rise or flooding, and develop long-term strategies to manage these risks, ensuring our resilience to unavoidable climate impacts. We will start this work in The Wood.

Consideration will be given to the range of climate responses available: protect the area, avoid the area for new developments, retreat from the area, and accommodate the risk, such as raised floor levels.

Council staff will develop a list of potential adaptation options, evaluate risk tolerance, undertake cost-benefit analyses, and work with the community to identify preferred adaptation pathways.

Although this work will be challenging, we are a resourceful, innovative, and co-operative community, and the climate work represents a unique opportunity to give our children and their children all the prospects of a good life, with a stable climate, healthy nature, thriving wildlife, and strong resilient communities that care for each other and for the planet that is our home. Let’s get to work.