Unfortunately, our past climate is no longer a reliable guide to weather conditions in the future. The impacts of climate change are already being felt across Australia. Here in Penrith it will mean increasingly hotter weather, less rain, and more extreme weather events such as heat waves, intense rainfalls, wind gusts and electrical storms.
Maintaining our infrastructure and services under these changed conditions is set to be a challenge for Council. The decisions we make now can significantly impact on our ability to meet those challenges in the future.
So what should Council be doing do now - and in the years ahead - so that we are better able to cope with the challenges that climate change will bring?
These are the key questions being addressed through an important new project being undertaken, involving a process of climate change risk assessment and adaptation planning.
As part of the project, key staff from across Council will be invited to participate in interviews and workshops to identify, evaluate and rank climate change risks to Council’s infrastructure and services, and then identify and analyse options to treat those risks.
The support and participation of Council staff from across the organisation is critical to the success of this process and the value of its outcomes. Tapping into the knowledge of our staff and their understanding of what it is we do and how we do it, is vital in ensuring we develop effective responses to avoid or minimise the adverse impacts of climate change.
Some of our key external stakeholders have also been involved in providing their input to the risk assessment process.
The outcomes of this process will form the basis for an Adaptation Action Plan. This plan will be incorporated into Council’s existing risk management processes and will provide a strategic framework from which Council can implement actions to minimise climate risk and realise any potential opportunities.
To find out more about this important initiative please contact Council's Senior Strategic Planner, Bernadette Riad, on 4732 7629 or email briad@penrithcity.nsw.gov.au.
The outcomes of this process will form the basis for an Adaptation Action Plan. This plan will be incorporated into Council’s existing risk management processes and will provide a strategic framework from which Council can implement actions to minimise climate risk and realise any potential opportunities.
To find out more about this important initiative please contact Council's Senior Strategic Planner, Bernadette Riad, on 4732 7629 or email briad@penrithcity.nsw.gov.au.
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