Sustainability

Climate Change

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 increasingly be affected by changes in temperature, rainfall, sea level and extreme weather conditions.

We have already seen an increase in extreme fire weather days, a change in temporal rainfall distribution patterns, and a decrease in streamflows. These changes in climate impact our natural ecosystems, communities, 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:

  • Adapting to climate change by building resilience in our local communities, built environment, economy and natural systems to reduce our vulnerability to the effects of climate change.
  • Mitigating climate change by reducing the levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere through: eliminating the sources of these gases (such as the burning of fossil fuels for electricity and transport and from waste emissions); adopting sustainable development solutions in energy, land, infrastructure and industrial systems; and enhancing the sinks that store these gases including vegetation and soils (referred to as carbon drawdown or sequestration)
  • Assisting our rural and urban industries to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change

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

Council Progress

In 2019, Council resolved to acknowledge that climate change is a risk that requires prompt and ongoing focus by Council. Subsequently an Interim Climate Change Statement of Intent was developed and adopted 20 January 2020 . On the 22nd November 2022 Council agreed to the content and release of the final Scenic Rim Regional Council Climate Change Statement of Intent and to progress with the development of the Scenic Rim Regional Council Climate Change Strategy which is currently under development.

Useful Links

Pathways to a climate resilient Queensland: Queensland Climate Adaptation Strategy 2017-2030

Scenic Rim 2020/21 Municipal Emissions Snapshot

State of the Climate 2022