Climate Resilience

The Scenic Rim Region, like many parts of the world, can expect climate change to exacerbate the frequency and severity of events such as floods, droughts, heatwaves and bushfires. We will be increasingly affected by changes in temperature, rainfall, and extreme weather events. 

The region has already seen an increase in extreme fire weather days, a change in rainfall patterns, and a decrease in streamflows. These changes in climate impact our natural ecosystems, communities, homes and businesses. In addition, floods and unseasonal weather events can impact our agricultural sector productivity leading to further social and economic challenges to the Scenic Rim community. 

Responding to climate change requires a multifaceted approach that includes: 

  • Mitigating climate change by reducing the levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere by 

  • eliminating the sources of these gases, such as the burning of fossil fuels for electricity and transport and waste emissions 

  • adopting sustainable development solutions in energy, land, infrastructure and industrial systems  

  • enhancing the sinks that store these gases including vegetation and soils (referred to as carbon drawdown or sequestration) 

  • Adapting to climate change by building resilience in our natural systems and local communities, built environment, and economy to reduce our vulnerability to the effects of climate change. 

Mitigating and adapting to climate change means transitioning beyond business as usual and making a systemic shift across a range of sectors. 

Council's Response to Climate Change 

In 2019, Council resolved to acknowledge that climate change is a risk to the region. On the 22nd of November 2022 Council agreed to the content and release of the Scenic Rim Regional Council Climate Change Statement of Intent and to progress with the development of a Scenic Rim Regional Council climate change strategy. 

Consequently, the Scenic Rim Climate Change Roadmap 2024-2034 [LINK] (the Roadmap) was developed to guide Council and the Scenic Rim region towards reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, building climate resilience within our communities and ecosystems, and enabling our region to withstand and recover quickly from the hazards posed by a changing climate. The Roadmap was endorsed by Council on 24 January 2024. 

This Roadmap includes strategic objectives and high level actions to improve the adaptive capacity of our region and contribute to reducing global GHG emissions over the next ten years. To make the achievement of the strategic objectives more manageable, three 3 Year Action Plans will be developed in sequence. The first of these plans, Scenic Rim Climate Change 3 Year Action Plan 2024-2026 [LINK], accompanies this Roadmap and contains a detailed inventory of high level actions to be implemented over the next three years. 

Further Information on our changing climate 

  • Australian Climate Service  

  • The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 

Federal and state government climate-related actions & targets 

  • Australia's climate change action  

  • Federal targets  

  • Queensland Targets 

 

Resources to help you reduce your emissions  

You can reduce your emissions by growing plants, driving less, purchasing a lower emissions vehicle, improving the energy efficiency of your home, installing a solar PV system and battery storage, and by reducing waste. Please see the SRRC "Reducing Waste" webpage [LINK] for some very useful advice and a handy guide on how to reduce waste. Landfills are significant sources of greenhouse gas emissions. 

The following links outline a range of practical actions you can take, along with financial and advisory assistance programs designed to help reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Scenic Rim Regional Council also provides a grant finding service [LINK to GrantGuru] to all local businesses, community groups, not-for-profits and individuals. Sign up to receive notifications about available funding opportunities for your energy and water efficiency, renewable energy or carbon farming projects.  

Many of these actions can save you money and resources while contributing to a more sustainable future for the planet. 

Residents 

  • Energy Savings Tips  

  • Small Scale Renewable Energy Scheme 

  • Residential Scorecard  

  • Solar Consumer Guide 

  • Easy Energy-Saving Tips to Bring Down your Bills 

  • Supercharged Solar for Renters  

  • Cheaper Home Batteries Program 

Organisations & Businesses 

  • Cheaper Home Batteries Program 

Landholders & Agriculture 

  • Climate Smart Agriculture Program  

Water & Energy 

  • Energy Information Service 

  • Ag Energy Hub 

  • Cheaper Home Batteries Program 

Carbon Farming 

  • Contact Landcare if you have more than 50 hectares available for a native vegetation project for participation in the Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCU) Scheme  

  • Carbon Farming Outreach Program  

 

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