A message from the Mayor: Taking action on Climate Change
Published on 28 March 2022
Kempsey Shire Council is acting on Climate Change.
In October 2020 Council adopted the Long-term Renewable Energy and Water Strategy including a long-term target of net zero emissions by 2050, in alignment with the NSW Government.
This strategy impacts a whole variety of plans and actions by Council designed to cater for how our climate is changing, from project choices to tracking energy and water consumption.
Like many in the community, my views on climate change have changed over the years.
Though I was initially sceptical, I have come to accept the consensus presented by scientists and the definitive evidence that Climate Change is real and a genuine threat to our way of life.
For any who would like to inform themselves on the issue I can recommend four excellent sources:
In conversations on the topic, I often hear the response that “we’ve always had climate change.” It is an easy and partially true response.
What is not considered in this statement is that climate change and its impacts have accelerated. The changes are happening over decades, and even year-to-year, not over thousands of years.
Scientists have concluded the seemingly constant instances of bushfires, flooding, sea level rise and loss of glaciers and ice coverage at the poles, to mention but a few, are the worldwide impacts of a highly variable climate.
According to the annual Lowy Institute survey (Australian Attitudes to Climate Change), only 10% of our community remain to be convinced that global warming is a real problem, with the majority convinced we need to take steps to address this serious problem.
Council needs your support in planning for Climate Change now in the 20-year Community Strategic Plan and the new Sustainability and Resilience Strategy we will be working on this year which will propose actions for both Council and the community.
Next time you are in Clyde Street Mall in Kempsey, take a fresh look at the Flood Pole erected in 2009. Consider the marked maximum possible flood height and the historic 1949 height. Then imagine an additional 2.3 metres of floodwater above that 1949 mark. That reflects the increase to the record height seen in Lismore recently.
