Stirling’s motion on climate change adaptation passes at ALGA

The City of Stirling’s motion on climate change adaptation has passed unanimously at the National General Assembly (NGA), as part of the Australian Local Government Association’s (ALGA) annual conference held in Canberra last month.

The City of Stirling’s motion calls on the Federal Government to:

• Work with State and Territory Governments to develop a sustainable, equitable and efficient national funding model for the implementation of coastal hazard management actions to mitigate coastal erosion and inundation;

• Charge the Productivity Commission with undertaking an investigation into an appropriate funding framework that shares the cost of coastal hazard management appropriately among all levels of government and the community.

Mayor Mark Irwin said that the City of Stirling was far from being the only local government in the nation whose coastlines were being affected by climate change.

“Sea-level rise (and associated coastal hazards such as storm erosion, coastal inundation and shoreline recession) is affecting coastal communities across Australia and will continue to affect these communities ongoing,” he said.

“Over the next 50 years alone, it has been estimated that at least $30 billion (net present cost) of investment in large-scale coastal protection and adaptation projects is needed to manage coastal hazards.”

Also, the City of Stirling has endorsed an ambitious plan for reducing corporate emissions through its Sustainable Energy Action Plan (Corporate) 2020-2030.