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Melbeco
Melbeco
NSW
VIC
ACT
Melbourne
NCCARF 2013
The project
By 2030, Melbourne is likely to be significantly affected by warmer
temperatures and heatwaves, lower rainfall, intense storm events
and flash flooding
Research and
Assessment
ision making
Dec d Planning
an
Reflect
Adaptation action
lementation
Imp
Outcomes achieved
Comprehensive assessment of
critical risks and analysis of their
potential impacts and implications for
Melbourne now, in 2030, and in 2070
Action Plan developed to address key
risks and build resilience
Delivering a range of high value
adaptation/mitigation action steps
including:
Various Water Sensitive Urban
Design projects
3
Figure 2: City of Melbourne Climate Change Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan Adaptation Good
Practice phase
Green Roofs
Heat mapping of Melbourne
Hot and cool spot analysis
Drainage infrastructure upgrades
Social research.
Emerging outcomes
Findings from new research projects
released in April 2013 will drive changes
in the new 4-year Action Plan, which
CoM is currently developing:
Port Phillip Bay Coastal Adaptation
Pathways Project
Urban Heat Island (UHI) study
The project
The project
The City of Melbourne Climate Change
Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan
address high-level risks and are aimed
at reducing impacts on the Citys current
and evolving conditions, including a
projected doubling of the population
to 145,000 people by 2030. To identify
and assess the likelihood of critical risks
occurring now, in 2030, and 2070, CoM
drew on stakeholder inputs and scientific
evidence including the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth
Assessment Report (AR4 2007) and
Climate Change in Australia - Technical
Report1.
Table 1: City of Melbourne risk ratings for intense rainfall and wind events. A risk rating above 7 is
considered critical by Council and leads to high priority actions.
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Increased reparation costs following intense rainfall and wind events, including
damaged buildings, damaged or collapsed roads, damage to river banks and
associated infrastructure, general clean-up.
Business closure and job loss due to business interruption from storm damage
and flooding.
Increased potential for injury, death, damage or delays resulting from damage to
or falling trees.
Increased frequency and severity of public health risk from waterways. This
is due to increased toxin concentrations entering waterways following intense
rainfall events and reduced access for amenity purposes.
Public discontent due to reduced access to rivers and river banks for amenity
and bike/pedestrian commuting purposes following intense rainfall events.
The project
Table 2: City of Melbourne risk ratings for extreme heat and bushfire events. A risk rating above 7
is considered critical by Council and leads to high priority actions.
Increased heat stress related death / illness among at risk population groups.
Blackout.
Heat stress related illness among outdoor City of Melbourne workers. This
is caused by an increased number of hot days and becomes especially
exacerbated during hot spells.
Respiratory illness and social disruption due to bushfire-related poor air quality.
Train and tram derailments / accidents result in injuries and major disruptions.
Response strategy
CoMs responses strategies and action
plans to cushion, neutralise, adjust or
avoid climate change risks and impacts
are focused on building resilience. Two
key areas of adaptation are considered
high value in their potential to reduce
impacts across several risks and provide
other benefits including enhanced
biodiversity:
1. Harvesting storm water across the
municipality and converting it into a
valuable resource that builds the Citys
water system resilience, by:
The project
http://greenroofs.files.wordpress.com/2007/05/ch2.jpg?w=567&h=425
Figure 3: Cool roof. Melbournes 6-star CH2 building, one of the greenest buildings in Australia
Implementation successes
Successes in implementing the
Action Plan
Conversations between CoMs
Sustainability Branch and Planning team
to address risks have been instrumental
to successfully implementing the
Action Plan, notably the following three
programs:
The project
Radiant energy
redirected before
it is absorbed
Outcomes achieved
Weathered Galv
Roofing 80+C
Cool Roof
20 - 40 cooler
Cooler
Occupancy Zone
CoM
Resolving challenges
CoM is resolving several key challenges
to implementing the Action Plan. These
include:
Emerging outcomes
Towards a new 4-year Action
Plan
A number of people and branches of
Council are contributing to the delivery
of the Action Plan, and to current
phases of research that inform the work
towards a new 4-year Action Plan. Other
anticipated longer-term outcomes of the
Adaptation Strategys rollout include:
Roles and responsibilities defined
Clarification of time frames around
longer-term impacts and how to
manage their associated risks,
through building community resilience
Developing good connections
between decision-makers, through the
Inner Melbourne Climate Adaptation
Network
Stepping up towards aligned,
consistent adaptation decision-making
across the City.
Lessons learnt
Leadership
Engagement
Connectivity
Leadership
CoM has taken on a leadership role for
the municipality by demonstrating that
prudent stewardship is the requisite
response to climate change. The Lord
Mayor and other leaders at senior levels
in the organisation have been drivers in
making adaptation a priority and their
leadership has been essential to moving
forward in this space.
CoMs leadership has also been
demonstrated through initiating and
coordinating the Inner Melbourne Climate
Adaptation Network. This invite-only
network meets quarterly to actively
connect ongoing research, strategy
development, and implementation
work. It includes climate managers,
energy providers, water utilities, CSIRO,
Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), Victorian
Centre for Climate Change Adaptation
(VCCCAR), and Victorian Government
departments including Sustainability and
Environment (DSE), Transport, Health,
Engagement
Within CoM, many internal partners
are engaged across the organisation in
incorporating climate risks in their work.
Through its Corporate Risk Register
of key strategic risks, responsibility for
adaptation risk management has been
allocated to branches of the organisation
including engineering, planning, events,
community engagement, and risk and
governance.
CoM aims to ensure that all stakeholders
and the community understand how
they share roles and responsibilities in
Lessons learnt
Connectivity
Cost
Sustainability
CoMs adaptation work involves
considering future impacts of climate
change on the intergenerational needs
of residents, businesses and visitors
including health and community
facilities, and access to open space. The
Sustainability Branch is considering a
range of future impact scenarios to assist
in developing flexible longer-term plans
and strategies that will avoid or minimise
risks of maladaptation.
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Conclusion
Development of City of Melbournes
Adaptation Strategy was primarily
focused on conducting a comprehensive
risk assessment of extreme weather
events including heat waves and flash
flooding, and sea level rise to guide
decision-making. This was foundational
to developing firm relationships
between risk management and ongoing
implementation of the Action Plan. It is
aimed at reducing critical risk ratings to
tolerable levels, and enhancing resilience,
through various high value projects
including:
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Networks
The Climate Change Adaptation Good Practice project was funded by the Australian Government and delivered by NCCARF