2020-08-11 Planning & Environment Committee Agenda

PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA   11 AUGUST 2020




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PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                                          11 AUGUST 2020

             management and community projects. The Zero Emissions Organisational Strategy is due for review,
             providing an opportune time to take a broader community view of Noosa’s climate response.
             The Climate Change Response Plan (CCRP) aims to:
                 -   provide an action-oriented program that sets clear priorities for council and the community in
                     taking action on climate change, preparing for climate change risks, and building long term
                     resilience.
             Objectives of the CCRP are to:
                 -   Develop and implement a plan that meets the policy outcomes and targets stated in the Noosa
                     Council Environment Strategy
                 -   Provide for close consultation and participation by community groups, key sector representatives,
                     levels of government and the broader community
                 -   Appropriately manage identified risks posed by climate change to different sectors including
                     Council, waste, agriculture, households, communities, business, emergency services, and natural
                     systems.
                 -   Identify and prioritise responses for emissions reduction, climate change adaptation and
                     community preparedness.
             A separate Community and Stakeholder Engagement Plan accompanies this project plan.

             Drivers of the Project
             The climate crisis we face is systemic and broad ranging, impacting multiple sectors. Council has a critical
             role to play at the local level in facilitating change, investing, influencing, and partnering with others to ensure
             Noosa does it bit to reduce emissions. Equally, Noosa Council has a role and responsibility to proactively
             plan and prepare for the inevitable impacts over time as the climate changes.
             ZEN operational strategy
             Noosa Council’s Zero Emissions Organisational Strategy 2016-2026 (ZEN Operational Strategy) was
             adopted by Council in October 2016. The central pillar of the ZEN Strategy is for Noosa Council
             operations and service activities to achieve net zero emissions by 2026. The purpose of the ZEN
             Strategy was to develop a decision-making framework to provide a cost-effective way forward for the
             Council in achieving net zero emissions.
             The ZEN Strategy has been reviewed informally, however due to a number of changes in the scientific,
             social and political landscapes, the strategy is now due for a significant revision. The significant changes
             since the original strategy was developed include:
             e    2017 Queensland Government Climate Transition Strategy
             e    2017 Noosa Council Transport Strategy
             e    2018 IPCC Special Report on Global Warming
             e    2019 Noosa Council Environment Strategy
             e    2019 Noosa Council Climate Emergency Declaration.
             Climate Emergency & IPCC projects
             In 2019, Noosa Council joined hundreds of other governments around the world including 96 councils
             across Australia in declaring that the world is experiencing a climate emergency. This was done because,
             despite decades of warnings about the consequences of inaction to avert catastrophic climate change
             from many independent scientific bodies, most nations continue to not take the issue seriously enough.
             This past summer of unprecedented bushfires, drought, extreme heat and flood events, and species loss
             may indicate that climate ‘tipping points’ have already been reached affecting community networks, health

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