Climate Change Adaptation Planning with Peri-Urban Local Government in Victoria, Australia
Climate change presents many challenges for local government in Victoria, Australia. In the Macedon Ranges local government area the future climate is likely to include more hot days, less rainfall and run-off and increased frequency and intensity of extr
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Climate Change Adaptation Planning with Peri-Urban Local Government in Victoria, Australia Carl Larsen and Shelley McGuinness
Abstract Climate change presents many challenges for local government in Victoria, Australia. In the Macedon Ranges local government area the future climate is likely to include more hot days, less rainfall and run-off and increased frequency and intensity of extreme events such as drought, flash flooding and wildfire. The purpose of this project was to identify, analyse and evaluate climate change risks and develop an adaptation plan that would assist the Macedon Ranges Shire Council on the outskirts of Melbourne begin to plan for likely impacts arising from climate change. The development of the adaptation plan employed a best practice risk management approach in line with AS/NZS 31000:2009 and AS 5334:2013 and took and whole-of-council approach. Undertaking a risk assessment approach to climate change adaptation planning for a peri-urban local government area was successful. The approach assisted council to build capacity in climate change, adaptation and the process of undertaking a risk assessment and define their area of operation, influence and responsibility in regards to adaptation actions and the role of other external stakeholders. Further, it helped them to integrate the risks and associated adaptation options directly into the existing risk register system and understand the relativity of climate risks to non-climate risks that the council faces, such as land use change, increasing proportions of absentee landholders and an ageing demographic. Keywords Climate change risk • Peri-urban planning • Risk assessment • Adaptation plan and local government
C. Larsen (*) • S. McGuinness RM Consulting Group, Suite 1, Level 1, 357 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, VIC 3124, Australia e-mail: [email protected] © The Author(s) 2016 B. Maheshwari et al. (eds.), Balanced Urban Development: Options and Strategies for Liveable Cities, Water Science and Technology Library 72, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-28112-4_24
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C. Larsen and S. McGuinness
Introduction Climate Change Risks for Local Government
Climate change presents many challenges for local government in Victoria, Australia (SMEC 2010; Stanley et al. 2013). In Macedon Ranges the future climate is likely to include more hot days, less rainfall and run-off and increased frequency and intensity of extreme events such as drought, flash flooding and wildfire (BoM 2014; Inglis et al. 2014; IPCC 2012, 2013, 2014). These changes have the potential to: Damage or disrupt infrastructure that delivers core services such as power, transport, water and communications; Increase the costs and maintenance of community infrastructure such as pools, sporting grounds, parks and gardens, halls, cemeteries and libraries; Permanently modify the habitats of the region’s flora and fauna; Increase risks to developments in floodplains and bushfire prone areas; and challenge the basis of the region’s economic sectors and the provision of social servic
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