Key Approaches to Planning for Climate Change for Cities in Australia - Case Study Example

Key Approaches to Planning for Climate Change for Cities in Australia Name Unit Class Introduction The climate change is being felt globally and cities have to prepare for the impacts (Bulkeley & Betsill, 2003). Australia is one of the most urbanized countries globally with almost 90 % of its residents living in cities (Low, 2008). The major cities in Australia are located near to the coastline making them venerable to climate change. This has made the country more active in combating climate change especially in cities. In most countries, the growth of cities is associated with economic growth and in most cases affects the environment. The planners in Australia have been keen in addressing the challenges that faces cities in coping with the climate change impacts. Many cities worldwide have been able to see the changes in climate such as temperatures and natural hazards. Australia has not been an exception as cities have been hit by extreme conditions at one time. Cities such as Melbourne have been recording extreme is weather conditions such as heat waves, drought and water shortages (Duxbury & Dickinson, 2007). This essay will look at Australian cities response to climate change in the context of recent extreme events. Effects of climate change in cities In Australia, the effects of climate change have been felt by major cities such as Melbourne. Melbourne city water sector has been one of the major hit over the recent past. The population growth of Melbourne, urban sprawl coupled with climate change has had a major impact on the city. This has led to the city coming up with key planning approaches to combat climate change. The city has acted as a good example of the climatic conditions that are going to hit major cities if there are no actions taken against climate change. Melbourne has faced floods, droughts and heat waves. These conditions have also been experienced in several other cities which have called for planning that will enable the cities to adapt to these conditions (SMEC Australia, 2007). Climate Resilient Approach At the moment, the majority of cities in Australia is faced with water restrictions due to climate change. The south east area of Australia has been experiencing less rainfall and high evaporation rates. The area has also been prone to extreme weather as explained by the heat waves that struck in 2009 which continued with a long period of drought. Temperatures during the drought period ranged at 46.4 degrees. These temperatures led to loss of lives and led to wildfires (Duxbury & Dickinson, 2007). One of the approaches for climate change has been building of climate resilient future (Bulkeley & Betsill, 2003). The fact that some of the cities have been hit by drought has led to them realizing that water catchment, sewerage and drainage are all subject to the change. Adaptability has been used as both short term and long term form of planning. City planners have come up with new plans that are able to secure the future sustainability. This involves developing new sources of water for the cities and including desalination plants, storm water harvesting and storage which can substitute portable water (Alberti & Marzluff, 2004). Developing new water sources have been able to give the communities benefits especially during restrictions (SMEC Australia, 2007). Reduction of GHG City developers have also come up with mitigation measures that will help in reducing carbon footprint. The main aim of mitigation is to reduce the green house gas emissions, increase efficiency and come up with new energy sources. Cities have started setting their net reduction in carbon emissions. For example, Melbourne has a target of zero net emissions by the year 2018. To achieve these strategies, cities have embarked on green house gas reduction strategies. This has led to planners coming up with onsite power generation, biogas and hydro power technologies for the cities (Smit &Wandel, 2006). There is also increase in uptake of energy fro renewable sources. For example, Melbourne made an agreement to be purchasing renewable power for 15 years. City planners have looked at the ways in which they can reduce green house gas emissions from the transport industry. One of the methods that city planners have been looking at is cycling and other less polluting modes of transport as opposed to private motor cars. Australian city commuters predominantly use the private vehicles (Holper et al. 2006). Statistics have proved that 86 % of the green house gas emissions come from the road transport (Alberti & Marzluff, 2004). Due to fact that Australia has high motor ownership, there is a high green house gas emission. There have also been efforts by the planners to encourage switching from high carbon modes to low carbon modes. In some cities, bicycle riders using on bus bike racks are allowed to travel free. Cycling has been proposed for the short journeys in order to substitute cars. Cities have been encouraging the residents to adopt the use of bicycles to save on fuel and cut the greenhouse gas emissions. This strategy has the capability to help the community a lot in combating the climate change and the associated extreme conditions. Cities estimate that they can reduce carbon pollution by almost two thirds in the transport sector. The choice of the cycling by the cities have been evaluated that it does not compromise transport while at the same time increasing efficiency. Cities that have adapted to cycling have been able to reduce their per capita GHG emissions (Holper et al. 2006). Funding and Planning Approach Cities have set aside cash for mitigation and adaptation to climate change following extreme weather conditions (Holper et al. 2006). For example, Queensland set aside £150 million which is aimed for funding climate projects. The state also came up with a climate strategy which aims at reducing the carbon emissions by 60 percent by the year 2050 based on the 2000 levels. Queensland has been active in using clean energy sources and carbon capture to mitigate climate change. Brisbane has been on the frontline to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Sustainable house campaign has been established in many cities in Australia to conserve energy. All houses are equipped with energy conserving devices under the sustainable housing code. There has been construction of sustainable houses to showcase the technology (Lyth, 2006). Gold Coast City have been in the front line in coming up with mitigation measures towards climate change. The city has committed itself to the climate protection program. One of the goals that the city has set is to be carbon neutral by 2020. The city council has been in partnership with the Queensland state in a bid to replenish the beaches which have been eroded. There has been construction of beach front houses with a wall to protect a large cyclone. Housing in the city is constructed by taking care of water and energy efficiency measures (Smit &Wandel, 2006). Urban planning has been a major strategy towards response to climate change. The challenges that are brought about by the adaptation process are solved through urban planning. The main aim of urban planning is ensuring that there is order in urban spaces and enhancing harmony among them. The urban planners in Australia have the main role in shaping and guiding planning. Adapting to the climate change in Australian cities has been a major boost to the planning sector to thrive. The city planning have been tasked with coming up with plans for sustainable development. The infrastructure sector has been the main area that planners have looked at. This is due to the potential that the sector holds in making cities adapt to changing climate (Welford & Hills, 2004). Smart infrastructure approach The use of convectional hard surfacing in building has been replaced by porous surfacing. Hard surfacing is imporous and prevents the surface water from being absorbed into the ground. The system concentrates water into small surfaces which makes it venerable in cases of extreme water. The most severe problem from hard surfacing occurs when there is flooding. When there is flooding, it becomes in excess of the hard surfaced pipes carrying capacity. Use of porous surfacing in the city’s drainage system has been able to climate this problem in most of the Australian cities. Then materials being used for this purpose include the porous asphalt and open jointed blocks. The methods have been able to offer the cities a slow and reduced volume conveyance of excess water. The method is vital for wastewater management systems and also biodiversity as it increases the ground water supplies (Smit &Wandel, 2006). Porous surfacing has been a major step towards adaptation plans. This has been utilized in driveways and parking lots. The city planners have been tasked with ensuring that they are able to give relevant requirements for the porous surfacing and demonstrating their applicability. Porous surfacing has great benefits to the large developments as they ensure adaptation. The surfacing is done in accordance with the pre planning which gives the detailed costs and technical requirement. In Australia, some of the cities have adopted the trend in parking lots and driveways (Bulkeley & Betsill, 2003). Green roofs are another structural adaptation taken by the Australian cities in relation to extreme weather conditions. The roofs are being used in many buildings including commercial, residential as well as residential housing. The traditional roofing has been adding water to the sewer system and also increasing ground run off. This has been adding stress to water management especially when there is extreme weather such as flood. Using the green roofs, the building is able to slow down water while some of it is absorbed by the roof. The use of green roofing reduces surface runoff and environmental pollution. The vegetated roofs offer water retention as well as treatment. Green roofing has other advantages such as urban cooling and reduction of absorption of the solar radiation. The roof, thus can act as a mitigation measure against heat waves. The roofing also contributes to biodiversity as it provides food and habitat for the birds and insects (Welford & Hills, 2004). Green precincts Greening the built environment in the cities is an initiative that is aimed at combating climate change. The initiative is based on the idea that transport and buildings are the essential basis that is used every day by the population. The city planners have been advocating for the green open spaces and trees (Welford & Hills, 2004). The cities are being planned in such a way that they support diversity. Some of the animal species have proved to adapt well in the city environment. City planning involves taking care of the water cycle and avoids distorting the ecosystem. Previously cities have replaced the vegetation with materials that are impervious and with high thermal conductivity. This made cities to have a warmer climate than the surrounding rural areas. In most cases, the materials have made the heat waves to strike the cities more than the rural areas. Greening the build environment have the capability to reduce the effect of these materials. The initiative to make the urban areas green have made advantages ranging from reduction of air pollution and making the air to be of high quality. The use of urban forests is aimed at making sure that cities are protected from surface runoff and the water available is of high quality (Smit &Wandel, 2006). Several cities in Australia have embarked on urban greening. The planners have adopted technology to assist in managing urban forests such as remote sensing. One of the towns that have successfully adopted green forest is Brisbane. The city has a diverse forest that acts for multipurpose. The city residents and tourists are attracted to the forests which also serve to mitigate climate change (Welford & Hills, 2004). Energy efficiency, renewable energy and waste disposal Energy efficiency is another area in which the cities have looked at in order to mitigate climate change and reduce the extreme events. The increase in population and houses have led to increase in energy consumption are release of greenhouse gases. Most cities have focused on increasing awareness on the residents on energy conservation and utilization of renewable energy. Brisbane and Perth have been able to be among the cities that have utilized solar energy effectively (Welford & Hills, 2004). Waste disposal is another sector that has been addressed by most cities in the wake of climate change. The way in which cities deal with their waste is very vital for the environment (Bulkeley & Betsill, 2003). Waste leads to environmental issues such as pollution on land, air and water. Pollution has a great effect on the climate change which has contributed to extreme effects. Waste generation has been on increase in Australia compared to the previous levels. Construction industry has been termed as the main polluter with the largest volume of waste generated. Cities have come up with measures to curb effects associated with waste disposal. Perth was able to recover more than 1.5 million tones of waste material in 2008. The methods used in waste management are recycling and reusing. Following the city’s efforts to curb wrong waste disposal, most of the residents have indicated satisfaction (Low, 2008). Cities which have adopted the best waste disposal frameworks are Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide. Waste material if not well managed lead to emissions of greenhouse gases such as methane which has very high potential in leading to climate change compared to CO2. Cities such as Melbourne have come up with programs that have enhanced recovery and recycling of the waste. This has been as a result of the city being subjected to extreme weather conditions associated with climate change. Managing coastal risks Australia has major towns on the coastline. As climate changes, these towns are bound to be affected by extreme weather conditions. The cities are in the risks of rising sea level, tides and storms which are bound to become more frequent. The towns are in low lying areas which makes them more vulnerable. Almost 80 percent of Australian lives in the coastal towns with some having their address within three kilometers to the coastline (Bulkeley & Betsill, 2003). Due to fact that most of the Australia cities are in the coastal areas, the coastal councils have been able to advocate for the planning decisions that have reduced the level of exposure to the residents due to climate change. The decisions have been based on the legislative frameworks which manages the coastal cities development. There have been efforts to come up with national coastal policy that is aimed at managing the coastal cities growth since they are the most affected by the climate change. There has also been increase in funds to manage the climate change in the cities. This has helped the cities to put in place the required infrastructure for the residents to manage climate change. Collaboration between the stakeholders in the cities towards the management of the climate change has played a great role in managing the environment (Duxbury& Dickinson, 2007). The national, state and local government have been working together to come up with measures that will enable the cities to manage the extreme weather brought about by climate change. Technology is another area which has been utilized by the coastal cities due to extreme weather events. Most of the Australian towns are near the shores which makes them vulnerable to changes in water level and storms. Stability mapping tool has been put in use in the coastal areas. The tool known as the smart line gives the representation of the high water mark in the coast (Duxbury & Dickinson, 2007). Using the smart line, it is possible to know the landform type, rock geology and the exposure of the coastline to waves. The technology has enabled the cities to know the zones which are potentially unstable and more likely to be affected by sea level rise. As the climate changes, it is expected that the coast line will recede due to changes in the sea level. Smart line has helped the developers to map the areas that are potentially instable (Holper et al. 2006). Use of inundation mapping has also been done on the coastal areas. This has targeted the knowledge on the accurate coastal elevation. Coastal cities have benefited from the coast elevation model which has been focusing on the clear understanding of the height above sea level. The Australian coast line is well covered by the technology (Duxbury & Dickinson, 2007). The estimates that have been collected through the technology are sea level rise, storm tide and mean high water level. The data is vital for modeling the coastal venerability hence assisting in planning at the coastal cities. Using this data, cities have been able to estimate the property that is in risk of being destroyed by the extreme weather and make the required measures (Holper et al. 2006). Conclusion In conclusion, Australia cities have taken several key approaches in planning for the climate change. The country has almost 90 percent of its population living in the urban areas. Of late, heat waves have hit cities such as Melbourne in 2009. The effects of heat waves and droughts in major Australia cities led to loss of lives and water restrictions. The extreme events served as a warning that the climate change is real and needs urgent actions. There have been other extreme events such as wild fires and droughts which are associated with drought. Among the approaches taken are uses of green roof, urban greening, reduce of GHG in transport sector, use of porous surfacing in drainages, renewable energy, energy efficiency and proper waste disposal. Most of the cities have come up with their target for zero carbon cities. All these measures have been aimed at reducing the impact of climate change in the cities. Most of the Australia cities are on the coastline which puts them on risk of rising water levels and other extreme events associated with climate change on the coastal areas. The coastal city councils have been in the forefront in coming up with measures that enables them to curb climate change. Technology has been utilized on the coastal areas to monitor the sea conditions and advise the planners accordingly. Through working together with all the stakeholders, the city authorities have made great steps towards a sustainable environment and disaster preparedness. 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