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Climate Change
Climate Change is one of the most important issues facing the global community today and planning has an important role to play in dealing with the anticipated impacts. Whether it is a result of natural or human activity the associated impacts of climate change are universal, however the effects will be felt differently from region to region. The Planning profession is in a unique position to understand the consequential changes and to assist the community to adapt and to apply practical mitigation and adaptation strategies. PIA has developed a Position Statement on Climate Change addressing the role of the planning profession and the required actions of the planning profession and government to address the imposing threat of Climate Change. Climate Change encompasses a range of planning issues. PIA incorporates the impact of climate change in the development of all PIA policies and has developed position statements on many related planning issues. PIA endeavors to continue to develop policy and advocate for sustainable development and look at the consequences planning decisions have on contributing to Climate Change. Other relevant Position Statements
What is PIA doing?PIA believes that Planning can contribute significantly to addressing the impacts of Climate Change. Events such as flooding, droughts and bushfires already have huge impacts on Australian communities and, with increasing climate change; the occurrence of such events is predicted to increase. Through a better informed profession and access to the most up to date resources, the planning profession can be better equipped to combat climate change. Through workshops, research and online resources PIA is dedicated to informing and supporting practitioners to dealing and understanding issues of Climate Change. Climate Change WorkshopsPIA in support with the Australian Greenhouse Office (AGO) delivered ten training seminars around the country in 2006/2007 financial year on ‘the impacts of climate change for planning practitioners.’ Each seminar was for one day and was based on speakers and seminar activity in the morning and workshops in the afternoon. The aim of the training seminars was to educate and deliver up to date research and information from specialist speakers. These seminars were developed to enable planning practitioners to identify what additional support they will need to incorporate climate change risk assessment practices into their decision-making processes. A report on the findings of the workshops was provided to the AGO. The outcomes of the workshops provided assistance for the AGO in identifying gaps and deficiencies in current planning practices to frame future research. For more information, please refer to the Climate Change Workshops page. Skills For Planners - ResearchResearch regarding climate change has been undertaken by ARIES (Australian Research Institute in Education for Sustainability). Macquarie University commissioned by the Australian Department of the Environment and Water Resources, in partnership with the four professional institutes representing Architects, Engineers, Landscape Architects and Planners. The four institutions were involved in the project led by ARIES for a scoping study on “Shifting Towards Sustainability: Education for Climate Change adaptation in the built environment sector,” which investigated the professional training and developments needs for the professions concerning climate change. For more information, please refer to the ARIES website. Sustainable Communities – A National Plan of Action for Urban Australia PIA together with the Property Council of Australia, the Planning Officials Group and the Royal Australian Institute of Architects have agreed to a national program to improve the economic, social and environmental performance of Australia’s major urban areas. A consensus has emerged for a nationally coordinated approach to the sustainable development of urban communities just there are national strategies and policies in areas such as competition, salinity, regional development, water and transport. The National Action Plan comprises seven propositions that are interdependent and inter-relate at four key levels: governance and direction, policy recommendations, review and funding, and action mechanisms. The seven propositions relate to a shared vision, national plan of action, urban action plans, sustainable communities commission, national sustainable communities fund, performance indicators and sustainable regulation. The Local Government and Planning Ministers Council met in Adelaide in August and considered the model and each jurisdiction has agreed to consider the contents of the report for further consideration at its next meeting on March 2007. Please click her for an overview of this report. Sustainable Cities ReportOn Monday 12 September 2005, the House Standing Committee on Environment and Heritage tabled its report on the inquiry into sustainable cities entitled Sustainable Cities. PIA is proud to announce that we have had a major impact on the report recently handed down by the Environment and Heritage Committee. The report includes strong bi-partisan endorsement of PIA's Liveable Communities policy, and the model for Commonwealth leadership developed by PIA with the support of the Property Council of Australia and the Royal Australian Institute of Architects. PIA’s call for the Commonwealth to take a stronger leadership role in the sustainability and efficiency of our cities is reflected in this report. The findings and recommendations of this Inquiry are an important step forward. Links to associated initiativesPIAI has been directly involved or provided advisory Your HomeIf you are building, buying or renovating, Your Home is a Technical Manual that has been developed to show you how to design and build a more comfortable home that has less impact on the environment. A sustainable home will also be more economical to run and healthier to live in. Visit www.yourhome.gov.au Your BuildingThe Your Building web portal is the key online Australian resource about sustainable commercial buildings. It provides information for all those involved across the building life cycle - from investors, owners, and occupiers to developers, builders, designers, and facility managers. Your DevelopmentThe Your Development project is a national project led by CSIRO in partnership with the Australian Greenhouse Office (AGO) in the Department of the Environment and Water Resources. The project's goal is to develop a web portal for sustainable and innovative urban developments that will allow all people involved in the creation of new neighbourhoods access to the latest information on sustainability issues. PIA is a member of:The Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC) is the peak body of key organisations committed to a sustainable built environment in Australia. ASBEC members consists of industry and professional associations, non-government organisations and government observers who are involved in the planning, design, delivery and operation of our built environment, and are concerned with the social and environmental impacts of this sector. ASBEC provides a forum for diverse groups involved in the built environment to gather, find common ground and intelligently discuss contentious issues. ResourcesHow can planners respond to Climate Change?Planners are key players in shaping and managing the built and natural environment at both a metropolitan and local scale. Planners work directly with multiple professions and work closely with local communities. Mitigation and Adaptation is an issue relevant at local, regional, national and international levels. Case Studies
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