Climate Change
The growing scientific consensus is that climate change is largely the result of emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from human activities including industrial processes, fossil fuel combustion, and changes in land use, such as deforestation. Unless decisive action is taken, projections of future warming suggest a global increase of 1.1 and 6.4ºC by 2100 compared to 1980-1999 temperatures (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). In addition to warming, increases in sea level and changes in rainfall, including more frequent floods and droughts, are likely. These changes, over time, are referred to broadly as "climate change".
Earth's atmosphere is a delicate insulating layer of gases that, like a garden greenhouse, traps heat from the sun and sustains life. Since the Industrial Revolution 200 years ago, human activity (like burning coal and oil) has been responsible for increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide are naturally occurring, but higher than normal concentrations in the atmosphere are causing global warming resulting in unusual and dangerous changes to our climatic and weather systems.
Visit the Department of Climate Change website for further information on climate change in Australia.
Impacts
The major impacts associated with climate change are:
- Sea level rise/storm surge
- Coastal Inundation
- Intense Rainfall and Inland Flooding
- Fire Weather Conditions
- Changes to Average and Extreme temperatures
- Changes to Average Rainfall
Frankston City and the Western Port region is significantly exposed to climate extremes and natural hazards such as storm surges and coastal inundation, floods, bushfires and extreme temperatures. As a result of climate change these hazards are expected to increase in frequency and/or severity.
By 2030, average temperatures across Victoria are predicted to be up to 1.2ºC higher than in 1990. There will be a greater number of days in summer when the temperature is above 35ºC, with generally drier conditions and more frequent drought.
Mitigation
Mitigation reduces climate change impacts by reducing the rate and magnitude of global warming by managing and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This increases the chance that the remaining risks can be adapted to.
Victoria's greenhouse gas emissions are significant:
- In 2007, Victoria's total net greenhouse gas emissions were 119.17 million tonnes of CO2-e (carbon dioxide equivalent).
- Victoria's total emissions are higher than some nations, including other industrialised countries with significantly larger populations, such as Austria, Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland.
- Victoria's high emissions totals result from our reliance on brown coal, a greenhouse gas intensive fuel, for electricity production.
- Over ninety per cent of Victoria's electricity is produced from brown coal. Together, Victoria's power stations produced 53% of the state's total greenhouse gas emissions in 2007.
Frankston City Council is working to manage and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its own operations as well as supporting community greenhouse programs and initiatives (go to Council Action on Climate Change for full details).
Adaptation
While reducing greenhouse gas emissions will be vital to limit the impact of climate change in the coming decades, adaptation will be "crucial to deal with the unavoidable impacts of climate change to which the world is already committed." (Stern Review: The Economics of Climate Change).
Adaptation is undertaking actions in response to actual or projected climate change impacts that lead to a reduction in risks, including variability and extreme events or realisation of benefits.
Frankston City Council is currently developing a Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Strategy. This strategy aims to:
- Build understanding and Council's capacity to adapt its operations and services to respond to the impacts of climate change, and
- Provide information to the community to reduce vulnerability and facilitate their adaptive response to the impacts of climate change.
A Climate Change Taskforce has been established to coordinate Council's activities to address the impacts of climate change in the municipality.
Studies and Reports
In 2008, Frankston City Council, as a member of the South East Councils Climate Change Alliance (formerly the Western Port Greenhouse Alliance), participated in a two year project funded by the Federal Government to examine the climate change impacts for the Western Port region.
The project assessed climate change impacts over the medium (2030) and long term (2070) on the built environment and communities as well as local adaptation responses to those impacts. Two important reports were developed:
Impacts of Climate Change on settlements in the Western Port Region: People Property and Places
Visit the South East Councils Climate Change Alliance website for further details and for a full copy of the reports.
In addition, the Victorian Government recently released a "Victorian Climate Change Green Paper", Department of Premier and Cabinet, June, 2009. Go to the Department of Climate Change website further information.
For further information please contact the Environment Department on 9784 1747 or e-mail environment@frankston.vic.gov.au.