In 2020, climate adaptation was identified as a priority in Council’s Community Climate Action Plan. It includes assessing the vulnerability of Banyule and its communities to climate change, reviewing and implementing regional actions of the NAGA Adaptation in the North report and identifying priorities to strengthen Banyule’s adaptation response.
Over the last five years since the Plan, Banyule has taken steps to minimise its greenhouse gas emissions through the development and implementation of the Corporate Emissions Reduction Plan and Community Climate Action Plan. This work, known as climate mitigation, is trying to reduce the carbon emissions we produce to help stop climate change from worsening.
While we continue reducing our carbon emissions, we also need to plan for climate change and extreme weather that is already happening and is set to grow more intense in the future. This is called climate adaptation.
By creating a climate adaptation plan we can ensure that we protect our shared community assets, prepare our communities for extreme weather events and protect what we love about Banyule.
The Plan will include actions that we can take to be better prepared for things like heatwaves, floods, and power outages related to storms. We also want to learn how the community would like to see us measure the impact of our actions and report back our findings.
We are diving deeper into engagement findings from early 2024 to create Banyule’s first Climate Adaptation Plan and would like to hear your thoughts on our climate risks and opportunities.
Aspects of the Climate Adaptation Plan that we seek community consultation on include:
- Identifying more complex adaptation risks and opportunities
- Creating a prioritised action plan for adaptation
- Creating methods for implementation actions across Council and the Community
- Creating engaging, transparent methods for evaluating our work and methods for sharing updates on the actions over the next 5 years
We are seeking feedback on the following:
- Personal experiences of extreme weather (storms, heat, drought, floods, fires, wind) or related disruptions like power outages
- Needs that should be considered within climate adaptation
- Lived experiences of Banyule’s changing climate
- Perceptions of risk and opportunities related to extreme weather or climate impacts around Banyule
- Personal preparedness for weather-related emergencies
- Expectations for local government’s response to climate related impacts
- Preferences around how local government tracks and reports on the climate impacts and adaptations within our work
You can share your voice on our Climate Adaptation Plan in the following ways:
1. Map your concerns related to climate risks and opportunities
Place an marker on the map below and share your thoughts on climate-related risks or opportunities. For example, are you concerned about extreme heat in your neighbourhood or lack of tree canopy for shade?
2. Complete our Climate Adaptation survey and storytelling portal
Complete the survey and/or participate in a storytelling activity on climate change risks and opportunities. You can complete either or both by clicking on the survey and storytelling portal below.
3. Attend an in-person or online engagement session
Come and talk to Council staff and provide feedback on the Community Climate Action Plan. You can do so in-person or online at a brainstorming and story collection session (registrations required for both in-person and online sessions):
- In-person:
Thursday 18 September, 7pm-8.30pm
Lvl 4, 1 Flintoff, Greensborough
Community Rooms - Hawdon and Ibbott room
REGISTER
Community Climate Action Plan
The current Community Climate Action Plan that was adopted by Council in 2020 is up for review in 2025. We will be reporting on the actions we have taken since the plan’s adoption, and we’d love your feedback.
The Community Climate Action Plan was Banyule’s first attempt at creating a holistic plan to put climate change in context, provide guidance, identify priorities, and help us take action to support the community.
A lot has changed in five years and now communities are demanding more focus on adjusting to climate impacts, in addition to the prior focus of reducing emissions.
We would like your feedback on:
- Priority themes: is anything missing?
- Actions: would you recommend new or revised actions in any section?
- Combining plans: should we combine the Community Climate Action Plan and the forthcoming Climate Adaptation Plan? Is there a need to keep these separate?
If you would like to provide feedback, please read over the Community Climate Action Plan review document and submit your feedback on the form below. You may also provide feedback at our in-person and online brainstorming sessions and story collection sessions for Climate Adaptation in September and October (registration required).
Stage 1 engagement
Community engagement
From 15 January to 24 March 2024, we asked the community to help us shape a sustainable and resilient community.
We heard feedback through a variety of engagement activities including:
- 145 people provided feedback through an online survey
- community forums (54 participants)
- presentations with Banyule Advisory and Population Committees
- in-person engagement at Eco Festival (100+ participants)
View the full findings report take a look at a summary of what we heard below.
What you told us
What you told us about Climate Adaptation.
- Over 80% of respondents are extremely concerned or very concerned about the possible impacts of climate change.
- Almost 60% of respondents stated that their level of preparedness for the impacts of climate change is 'fair to good' and that they'd like to see Council do more work in this space.
Preliminary community and staff engagement conducted in early 2024 emphasised the community's concern for climate change impacts and the need for proactive adaptation measures. Suggested focus areas included infrastructure resilience, biodiversity preservation and sustainable transport initiatives. The feedback reflected the desire for effective climate action and community involvement in resilience building efforts.
Our community is made up of diverse cultures, beliefs, abilities, bodies, sexualities, ages and genders. We are committed to access, equity, participation and rights for everyone: principles which empower, foster harmony and increase the wellbeing of an inclusive community.
Banyule City Council is proud to acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people as traditional custodians of the land and we pay respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders, past, present and emerging, who have resided in the area and have been an integral part of the region’s history.
