Climate Change: Risks and Opportunities for the Cairns Region

Wednesday, 12 August 2009 19:40

There was a lot of focus on climate change at the Pacific Islands Forum last week, and rightly so. The Cairns region has been identified by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as being amongst the 6 most vulnerable places in the nation likely to be impacted by climate change. We know that there will be: more intense rainfall events; increasing storm surges; a rise in sea-levels; more intense cyclones and higher average temperatures (unless you are a climate change denier, and there are still a few around!). The Council was pleased to get federal funding last year to assist in developing a Climate Change Adaptation Action Plan which has just been completed by consultants, AECOM. This report has produced 47 recommendations relating to land use planning, assets and operations, natural disaster planning and management, the environment and community health. Fortunately, Council is on the front foot and is already underway with implementing some of the recommended actions. Others will require significant funding allocations in future budgets. I am pleased that we now have the report and can start prioritising actions. The AECOM report will be considered at the Planning and Environment Committee meeting on Wednesday 12th August.