REGIONAL SUSTAINABILITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE COORDINATOR NETWORK, SA

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1 REGIONAL SUSTAINABILITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE COORDINATOR NETWORK, SA Globally, climate change science well understood but at local scale the impacts and opportunities that climate change may bring are not well defined or communicated. ( what does it mean for me and my community? ) Need a coordinated, whole-of-community approach to climate change education, information flow and capacity building to avoid duplication of effort, time and resources by various agencies and a risk that key areas for action or attention will be overlooked. Concept for a coordinated, multi-agency approach to climate change by providing a dedicated climate change and sustainability coordinator to each of the seven planning regions of South Australia. Recognise that responsibility for climate change cannot rest with one agency or sector alone. A successful and efficient approach to a local climate change response ideally lies with involvement of multiple agencies, through an integrated, triple bottom line approach. This approach also recognises the integral linkages between our environment, our economic and our social basis (refer diagram) Historically, government solutions to engaging with local communities has often been ad-hoc and uncoordinated, resulting in duplication and fragmentation of effort, wasted resources, over-consulted, frustrated and confused community. Common regional planning and service delivery boundaries in SA provides opportunity to easily facilitate a coordinated, streamlined and multi-agency approach to managing and mitigating climate change. This approach allows for local solutions and needs that reflect local communities, recognising they may often be different, but are fundamentally serviced by the same agencies. Analyse, interpret, translate and disseminate climate change information relevant to 'local patch'. Similar model to Regional Drought Coordinator role provides single focal and coordination point across agencies provides effective and seamless integration into community. Network of Regional Sustainability & Climate Change Coordinators to act as the first line of contact for sustainability and climate change issues across the region for Government, community and business and to provide support for partner organisations to act on initiatives that may have long term benefit for the region in the face of climate change Key roles of the Regional Sustainability/Climate Change Coordinator Network could include: Providing a common point of contact and coordination for climate change within a specific community of interest (ie Planning Region) Investigating and pursuing regional opportunities arising from climate change through carbon trading or new industry emergence Supporting investigation and planning for risks and vulnerabilities climate change may bring to business, the environment and communities within the region Working with Federal and State Governments to exchange information and date and to support priority climate change action, education and research needs in the region 5.Facilitating a 'whole of community', inter-agency approach to managing and mitigating climate change across the region 6.Fostering local leadership on the issue of climate change and sustainability within the region 7.Building capacity within the community, industry and government agencies operating in the region to effectively manage and mitigate climate change 8.Faciliating ongoing research and dissemination of information on the economic, environmental and social impact of climate change relevant to the region 9.Promoting local initiatives and solutions aimed at addressing climate change impact or mitigation 10.Promoting and pursuing opportunities for funding into the region for local climate change initiatives 1Working with government, non-government, corporate sector, educational and research institutions on partnership projects that support management or mitigation of climate change in the region

2 Diagram 1 Impact of Climate Change and the Relationship between Natural, Social and Economic Environments within a Community Increase in heat related illness Increase in illness spread by vectors Increased pressure on public health infrastructure and services Increased pressure on energy infrastructure (ie air conditioner use) Changes in land values (impact on council rate base & services) Declining potable water supplies Changes in community population and Increase in heatwaves dynamics Increase in extreme bushfire days and events Loss of visual amenity Increase in infrastructure damaged or Increase in depression and anxiety threatened by floods, storms, coastal inundation Increased pressure on emergency services and volunteers SOCIAL Loss or migration of native plant and animal species terrestrial and marine Change to abundance Decrease in ground and surface water flows, recharge and quality Sea levels, temperature & acidity Changes to soil characteristics - erosion patterns, moisture, salinity, acid sulphate, waterlogging NATURAL ENVIRONMENT ECONOMIC Declining water for irrigation and agriculture More and different pest species Shift or retraction of agricultural industries Fishing & aquaculture Effect on tourism Increased livestock stress Forestry industry (increased growth but decreased water =?) Opportunities for alternative industries, carbon trading

3 CLIMATE CHANGE TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE VULNERABILITY AND OPPORTUNITY PLANNING BY REGION Central Local Government Region of Councils represents 15 Local Government authorities across the Barossa and Clare Valleys, Yorke Peninsula, Mid North & Flinders Ranges district in South Australia. Climate change an issue but frustrated at lack of locally relevant information available to build understanding and consider future options and lack of support by Federal and State Government scale and magnitude of climate change impact, particularly at local, tangible levels remains unclear focus to date on sector, location or issue specific modelling and research nothing to tie it together, no funding to support more logical, integrated approach growing expectation that local planning will address climate change in a local context but don't have information or understanding to base this on need for relevant, credible and accurate information at an appropriate scale to support the Councils and their communities and industries in order for them to confidently move forward on climate change. collaborative, integrated triple bottom line approach to climate change planning proposed in SA, consistent with common planning/development/nrm/lg/emergency mgmt regions include Regional Local Government Association (incorporating 15 councils) in conjunction with the Regional Economic Development Boards and Regional Natural Resource Management Board. aim to generate and provide a common base level of documented understanding and appreciation of climate change vulnerability and opportunity relevant to the region, in order that key stakeholders can then begin more confidently integrating climate change into future strategic, economic, business, community and risk management thinking, planning and action all from a common starting point. downscaling of climate scenario modeling is problematic, resource intensive and quickly dates proposing a more qualitative, interactive and dynamic approach to determining regional vulnerability and opportunity by through bringing together local knowledge/community leaders and scientific expertise. approach recognises that the first step towards understanding the likely impact of climate change is to understand how the climate affects us through influences on our natural environment, our economic and social base the Climate-Society Relationship 1. Such a relationship will be specific to a region and will, necessarily, vary in different communities and different locations. key to articulating a clear climate-society relationship is bringing together the right blend of local knowledge/key community leaders from across the environmental/economic/social spheres with technical and scientific experts who have a high level of climate change research and knowledge. Once the relationship and linkages between a community (in this case the Central Local Government community of interest) and the climate is established, the sensitivity to a changing climate can be further explored and the level of vulnerability and risk right across the region can be more fully and wholistically considered. The benefits of this collaborative approach include: Improving awareness and building capacity of key leaders in the community regarding climate change as relevant to our region, not just one sector in isolation Avoiding duplication of effort and resources by our key regional bodies, through addressing the issues collectively Building on and consolidating the cooperative efforts of partners in our Region on climate change action to date, and particularly providing a clear and shared focus for future collaborative action Providing a common, documented starting point from which future climate change planning and action by individual sectors and localised communities within our Region can then build. 1 extracted from CSIRO (McInnes K et al); 2003; Climate Change in South Australia Report on Assessment of climate change, impacts and possible adaptation strategies relevant to South Australia

4 Example base matrix for developing a simple, integrated regional climate change vulnerability assessment as an exercise bringing together key community leaders across environmental, ecoonmic and social spheres (ie NRM, RDB, LG) with climate scientists and experts (ie BOM, CSIRO, Universities) Step 1 Identify the: economic base and key industries of your region (eg grazing, cropping, horticulture, viticulture, fishing and aquaculture, forestry, tourism, manufacturing, mining, mineral processing, education, government services) the environmental assets in your area (eg rivers, coastline, marine estuaries, groundwater systems, wetlands, national parks and wilderness areas, iconic fauna species, significant landscapes) your community demographic and make-up (eg young, old, sea/tree changers, nonresidents/tourists, migrants, non-english speaking, farmers, surfies, socio-economic or disadvantaged etc) Step 2 for each of these aspects of your region, identify the possible impact from the following climate change scenarios that are expected to occur with the increase in global temperature: Less rainfall with longer and more frequent droughts Longer, hotter and more frequent heatwaves More bushfire risk days and more intense bushfires More intensive and unseasonal rainfall events Higher and more frequent coastal storm surges and coastal erosion This exercise will give you an insight into the possible vulnerabilities your community may face in coming years as the effects of a global warming become apparent.

5 Exercise 1 Worksheet EXPECTED CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT Longer, hotter and more frequent heatwaves Less annual rainfall and longer, more frequent droughts More frequent bushfire risk days and intense bushfires More intensive and unseasonal (ie summer) rainfall events Higher and more frequent storm surges and coastal erosion REGIONAL ECONOMY ENVIRONMENTAL ASSETS SOCIAL MAKE-UP