Left: Western Port Greenhouse Alliance executive officer Greg Hunt looks to local councils for a solution to climate change in the Western Port area.CASEY Council is doing its bit to slow down the impact of climate change.
Western Port Greenhouse Alliance (WPGA), a partnership between the local government areas of Bass Coast, Casey, Cardinia, Frankston and Mornington Peninsula, has received funding for a major regional project to address questions about climate change in the Western Port region.
The Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Project will help provide answers to questions such as what will climate change affect, what can be done if sea levels rise, how will climate changes affect communities, and what response is possible to bushfires resulting from hotter temperatures.
The project has been funded with a two-year grant from the Australian Greenhouse Office and the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment.
“The study is groundbreaking and will place Casey at the forefront of climate change response in Australia,” Casey mayor Colin Butler said.
The project will inform and assist local government, State Government and other decision-makers in the Western Port region in preparing for and adapting to climate change.
“The project enables local councils in the Western Port region to prepare for the impacts of climate change and also demonstrate the important role that local government can play on a national level,” Cr Butler said.
Other major partners in the project include the CSIRO Climate Impacts Group, Marsden Jacob Associates, economics and public policy consultants, and Broadleaf Capital risk specialists.
Formed in 2004, WPGA works with the community and councils to reduce greenhouse emissions in the region through a range of projects including the Planet Savers schools program, sustainable dairy farming, public street lighting and carbon emission offsetting using biodiversity plantings.
For more information on WPGA and ways to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, contact the City of Casey’s WPGA team on 9705 5200 or visit www.casey.vic.gov.au/wpga.
