Climate Change Initiatives

Council recognises the importance of demonstrating leadership in addressing climate change and its impacts on our communities through responsible planning and collaboration.

Council delivers transparency through responding to global issues such as climate change according to its community’s needs.

This means taking appropriate action to minimize Snowy Valley’s climate change risks and inform adaptation actions, reducing Council’s energy and emission footprint and mitigating climate change risk to the community.

Climate Change Forum – April 2019

Snowy Valleys Council hosted a free Climate Change Forum at the Batlow Literary Institute on 29 April 2019 to build on the community’s understanding of key themes around climate change and to provide an opportunity for localised feedback on the impacts of climate change.

The forum is the first step in developing an updated Snowy Valleys Council Climate Change Risk Assessment, which Council identified as a priority task at its Extraordinary Council Meeting in January 2019.

The aims for the session were to:

  • Share information on climate change through presentations and discussions with local and national experts.
  • Share Snowy Valleys Council’s current and future climate change management activities.
  • Generate discussion on and capture data on the community’s perceptions and concerns around climate change and the effect it is having on our region.
  • Collaboratively develop a summary of issues, opportunities and priorities that can be used to inform climate change risk assessment, funding applications and action planning.
  • Develop a partnership approach to climate change management that reflects wider community and business ownership.

The keynote address was given by academics from Charles Sturt University’s Institute for Land, Water and Society. The Institute is a research body focused on social and environmental sustainability in regional and rural areas. Adjunct Professor Peter Waterman discussed ‘Climate proofing in the Snowy Valleys Region’ and answered questions from attendees.

Melinda Hilary from the Office of Environment and Heritage Climate Change Adaption and Regional Resilience Team also spoke.

Other notable contributors were Snowy Valleys’ Councillor Dr Geoff Pritchard, Michael Gooden from the Riverina Local Land Service, Steve Thompson from the Murray Local Land Service, Kevin Dodds from the NSW Department of Primary Industry, Peter Crowe as Chair of the Softwoods Working Group, local farmer Bindi Vanzella with 30 years Natural Resource Management experience, and Matthew Christensen Council’s Director of Assets and Infrastructure.

Click here to download the SVC presentation(PDF, 475KB)

Click here to download the Charles Sturt University presentation(PDF, 2MB)

Click here to download the Increasing Resilience to Climate Change (IRCC) presentation(PDF, 4MB)

Next Steps for Council

  • Document our priorities and share them with the Forum attendees
  • Complete our Climate Change Risk Assessment
  • Apply for funding to deliver priority projects
  • Develop a broader Climate Change Action/Proofing Plan
  • Continue working with a regional representative group to develop and deliver the Action/Proofing Plan