Climate Change Action
Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the extraction of energy from the burning of fossil fuels (like coal, oil and gas), which produces heat-trapping gases.
Climate change has significant implications for local government and the community, and its effects are already being experienced. However, the solutions to help address this challenge are at hand.
Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan
In September 2024, Council adopted the Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan to guide the Shire’s actions to address climate change.
The changing climate has extensive and significant social, economic, and legal implications for local government and the community. The Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale is already experiencing the effects of the changing climate, including higher temperatures, more heat waves, reduced rainfall, more frequent and intense heavy rainfall events, increased fire danger, and changes to biodiversity.
The Shire has a fundamental role in responding to the changing climate, given its responsibilities for land use planning, emergency management, ownership of public infrastructure, and delivery of community services.
Vision
This strategy’s vision is for the Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale to emerge as a leader in climate resilience and sustainability, aspire to achieve carbon neutrality as a local government and commit to collaborating with the community to adapt to our evolving climate.
Resilience roadmap
This vision has been used to develop a resilience roadmap with 14 objectives to achieve carbon neutrality and increase adaptive capacity.
- Demonstrate strong climate leadership
- Achieve net zero emissions
- Transition to zero emissions fleet
- Reduce and eliminate emissions from waste
- Transition to 100% renewable energy
- Increase efficiency of energy consumption
- Innovate for a smart city
- Educate and collaborate
- Foster the waterwise shire
- Conserve biodiversity
- Increase urban and rural forest canopy
- Maintain community infrastructure
- Enhance health and wellbeing
- Manage peri-urban hypergrowth
Climate change action
The climate action plan has been developed with direction from the community on how the Shire can create a sustainable and climate resilient future. The plan provides information on the 14 key objectives of the climate resilience roadmap and a comprehensive set of actions to help eliminate greenhouse gas emissions and increase the Shire’s adaptive capacity.
The 2024 Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan will guide the Shire’s actions in mitigating and adapting to the changing climate. The first step is to understand and report on where the Shire’s greenhouse gas emissions are coming from, which can be called ‘carbon counting’. A future step, which is expected to be required within the next five years, is ‘carbon accounting’ which accounts for the costs of carbon emissions (such as the costs of carbon offsets).
What action has the Shire already taken to combat climate change?
Policy achievements
The Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale has been committed to action on climate change for more than 15 years. Policy actions over this period include:
- 2011 – Climate Change Position Statement
- 2015 – Climate Change Strategy and Local Action Plan
- 2022 – commitment to update the Climate Change Strategy
- 2023 – Climate Change Declaration
- 2024 – update to Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan
Additional achievements
The Shire is taking action on climate change over many areas of the Shire’s operations, including:
Policy framework updates
Urban and Rural Forest Strategy 2018-2028;- State of the Environment Report 2019;
- Gold Waterwise Council accreditation, with a Waterwise Action Plan;
- Founding member of the South East Regional Energy Group (SEREG) since 1999;
- Switch Your Thinking’s Business Plan 2020/21 – 2024/25.
Planning, urban design and building regulation
- Ensuring structure plans provide for mixed use walkable communities;
- Ensuring integration of the Byford Rail Extension into the urban fabric of the town;
- Emphasising opportunities for bike path planning;
- Ensuring built form responds to the inherent bushfire risk on the landscape.
Education
- Sustainability-themed programs and events;
- School holiday events featuring environmental or sustainability topics;
- Switch Your Thinking’s sustainability and energy-efficiency programs and events.
ICT programs
- E-waste strategy ensures no e-waste goes into landfill;
- Strategic Information Systems Plan has sustainability as a key theme;
- Cloud-based strategy aims to reduce on-premise equipment and power consumption
Infrastructure
Solar panels installed on 14 facilities;- Sustainable power purchase agreement negotiated through WALGA for highest electricity consuming sites (>50MWh per year);
- LED street lighting required in all new developments;
- Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) implemented in all new developments;
- Footpath extension and renewal programs to encourage walkability and reduced car use;
- Playground renewal to increase shade and make playable even in hotter environments.
Landscaping and parks
- Low water use plants in planning and retrofitting of parks and gardens;
- Easy maintenance and resilience prioritized in parks and planting programs;
- Free verge plant program provides free local native seedlings to residents;
- Free street trees planted on verges.
Risk management
- Risks associated with climate change and an action plan included in the Strategic Risk Register;
- Risk management for large events considers natural disaster mitigation;
- Bushfire and emergency support brigades maintained, with appliances upgraded and added to;
- Ensuring high season fire-fighting fleet is allocated to the Shire;
- Funding bushfire mitigation efforts, with dedicated human resources;
- Bringing to the attention of other agencies the need to manage the risk of vegetation fuel levels.
Photo: Vanessa Slater
In-house action
- Energy efficiency education provided to staff
- Required standards for events include reusable cutlery, no balloons, solar lighting etc.;
- Battery and light bulb recycling program;
- Recreation centre café has no single use plastics;
- Energy efficiency report on the recreation centre makes recommendations which are being progressively implemented.
In progress
- Purchase of hybrid vehicles;
- Re-use shop at the transfer station;
- Consideration of solar power for the re-use shop at the transfer station;
- Consideration of introduction of FOGO (Food Organics and Garden Organics) bins;
- Cleaning contracts reviewed to specify separation, sorting and recycling of waste;
- Internal waste management modified to reduce consumption, increase recycling and address improvements;
- West Mundijong Industrial Estate has potential for industrial/commercial solar microgrids and business clusters;
- Agricultural sector is working to adapt to climate change through water and energy efficiency.
Further information
The Shire’s Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan is supported by a background information report, detailed emissions assessment, and a physical risk and adaptation plan. These supporting documents can be found here.
More information about climate change can be found in reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the United Nations' body for assessing the science related to climate change.