2021-10-08 SM - Item 1 - Attachment 1 - Draft Coastal Hazards Adaptation Plan

also needs to be supported by strong Council effort towards ensuring that natural foreshores are
as healthy and resilient as they can be to help reduce coastal hazard risks.

Council acknowledges that climate change poses a serious challenge to Noosa Shire – and
ultimately to the planet. Council believes that the responsibility for responding to the causes and
risks associated with climate change is shared by many stakeholders and thus requires a
collaborative approach. Council acknowledges its responsibility to understand and consider local
risks, and to work with the community, government agencies and other partners to improve its
knowledge and capability to respond. That response will involve not only adaptive and pragmatic
planning for development and infrastructure, but also localised emissions reductions.


                                              Reference Box #1

                                            What is ‘adaptation’?

 Despite ongoing international efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, climate change is likely to
 have significant effects on coastal communities across Australia. One of the most significant changes,
 rising sea-levels rise, has the potential to impact the livelihoods and lifestyles of coastal residents and the
 natural environment. Decisions and actions that help to prepare for the adverse consequences of
 climate change, as well as to take advantage of the opportunities, are known as climate change
 adaptation.

 In this context, coastal hazards adaptation means understanding what effect sea level rise may have on
 the behaviour on coastal hazards, and taking appropriate action to prevent or minimise the damage they
 could cause in the future to the built environment, human health and safety, and our natural systems. It
 can also mean taking advantage of any opportunities that may arise to transform Noosa into something
 better.

 Robust adaptation planning takes into account the timing of any proposed actions. Because the future is
 almost always uncertain, acting too soon can risk locking councils and communities into inappropriate
 outcomes. But acting too late (or not at all) could risk locking Noosa into impacts that are costly or
 unavoidable. Local monitoring will therefore continue to inform future coastal hazards modelling and
 mapping and timely adaptation responses.




Noosa Council – Coastal Hazards Adaptation Plan                                                          Page 4