In August 2019 Lismore City Council publicly declared a State of Climate Emergency. The public declaration acknowledged the “threats to humanity, civilisation, other species, and the life-supporting capacity of air, water, soil and ecosystems”.
In 2020, Council then adopted a Climate Resilience Policy. The Climate Resilience Policy guides how Council can support the community in preparing for and withstanding the impacts of extreme events in a changing climate and enables the community to thrive in a climate changed world. It also recognises that reducing greenhouse gas emissions is important to limiting further climate change.
The Policy includes embedding climate change adaptation and resilience as a core component of Council’s strategic planning, processes and operations.
In accordance with the Climate Resilience Policy, Council are in the early stages of scoping and preparing strategies that focuses on how we as a community can adapt to our changing climate. The aim of this work is to facilitate collaborative actions to reduce risks so that we can continue to live, survive and thrive in Lismore.
With the recent climate events including the 2022 flooding natural disaster, and drought and bushfire prior to that, the Lismore community has lived experience of what could be happening more regularly in future. Lismore City Council acknowledges that the community will have ideas on how to best resource ourselves to prepare for these and other expected changes and will be looking to the community for expertise and suggestions in due course.
Watch this space.
Lismore City Council is committed Council to prioritising a place-based approach to developing climate change resilience frameworks.
So far, Council have worked with the communities at Nimbin and The Channon to develop such frameworks.
If you would like to be involved in developing a Resilience Plan for your community, contact Council’s Strategic Planning team at council@lismore.nsw.gov.au.
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Lismore City Council acknowledges we are a key business and employer in the LGA. Our own footprint is as critical as any others.
In 2014, Council adopted a Renewable Energy Master Plan. The Plan sets a target for Council to generate 100% of its electricity needs from renewable energy sources by 2023. A monitoring report that outlines the progress that has been made towards this target will be published soon.
The Community Energy Efficiency Program (CEEP) has helped Lismore City Council to improve the energy efficiency of several community facilities, Council buildings and streetlighting.
Wide-ranging solutions contribute to reducing the severity of climate change, and respond to the impacts of the changing climate.