Climate Change
The City of Victor Harbor council area is home to many wonderful assets such as Rosetta Head (The Bluff), Granite Island and the Little Penguin colony, Hindmarsh Falls, Glacier Rock, Hindmarsh and Inman Rivers. The natural environment, including the coastal and marine areas, rivers, natural vegetation, clean air and mild climate are all identified as things that make Victor Harbor a great place to live.
The City of Victor Harbor is a coastal community with an ageing, growing and diversifying population. Our local economy is largely influenced by the seasonality of visitors attracted to our remarkable but vulnerable natural assets and features. The ability for the City of Victor Harbor to maintain its position as a place of choice to live, work, invest and visit is intrinsically linked to our preparedness for, and responsiveness to, the impacts of climate change.
Our planning aims to preserve all of the things we value about our environment, at the same time as putting measures in place to address the challenges that face us in the future.
In December 2019 the City of Victor Harbor joined a growing number of councils across the country to declare a climate emergency. This move recognises the serious risk that climate change poses to the Victor Harbor community and that more action needs to be undertaken by all levels of government.
Over the next 10 years and beyond, the changing climate will put pressure on the City of Victor Harbor’s natural and urban environment. Climate adaptation studies for the region highlight that the area’s climate will become warmer and drier with rising sea levels, increasing heatwaves, storm surges and increased bushfire risk.
The Council’s Climate Agenda 2030 sets out our commitment to taking action to mitigate and adapt to climate change. It also outlines the first annual program of climate priorities to be delivered in 2020/21.
Climate Emergency Declaration
On Monday, 16 December 2019 the City of Victor Harbor joined a growing number of councils declaring a climate emergency. The recognition by Council that our community is facing increased threat from the changes of global warming accentuates the need for State and Federal Governments to also declare a climate emergency.
The City of Victor Harbor, as with all local governments play a critical role in achieving a nation-wide climate emergency response. Noting the fact that the Federal Government’s latest greenhouse gas emissions data shows Australia’s total greenhouse gas emissions have increased compared to 2012, not decreased; Council acknowledges that more action is required by all levels of government globally to tackle climate change. Therefore on Monday, 16 December 2019 the City of Victor Harbor passed the motion to ‘Declare a Climate Emergency’.
This declaration follows the City of Victor Harbor’s support to the South Australian Local Government Association (LGA) to strengthen the LGA’s climate change policy to acknowledge that climate change poses a serious risk to local communities and ecosystems, and that all levels of government are urged to take action that will help address the effects of climate change in local communities. The Council also supported the LGA to continue to lobby the State and Federal Government to prioritise climate change action, in particular advocate for greater State and Federal funding initiatives that will assist local governments, and their communities, to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change.
Resilient Hills and Coasts Climate Change Project
Resilient Hills and Coasts is a collaborative, cross-sector partnership between councils (including the City of Victor Harbor), Landscape Boards, Regional Development Australia and the South Australian Government, working to strengthen the resilience of our communities, economies and natural and built environments to a changing climate.
The partnership developed the Regional Climate Change Adaptation Plan for the Adelaide Hills, Fleurieu Peninsula and Kangaroo Island region of South Australia, and is now implementing the plan.
Resilient Hills and Coasts is one of eleven Regional Climate Partnerships across South Australia.
View the Resilient Hills and Coasts Climate Adaptation Plan
Regional Sector Agreement
In June 2017, Resilient Hills & Coasts partners signed a Regional Sector Agreement. Sector agreements are formal cooperative agreements between the SA Government and specific business entities, industries, community groups and regions to help tackle climate change. The creation of voluntary sector agreements is encouraged under Section 16 of South Australia's climate change legislation.
Current Projects
Resilient Hills and Coasts draws on expertise and input from across community, business, government, industry and academia to identify and understand the impacts, risks, vulnerabilities and opportunities associated with climate change. We also work together to propose and implement a raft of adaptation actions to strengthen and grow the resilience of our communities, economies and the natural environment in responding to the changing climate.
- developing Local Action Plans for each of the six partner Councils
- exploring the possible design and delivery of a regional community energy program
- encourage the building and retrofitting of homes to be climate-ready through the Where We Build, What We Build project.
If you would like more information about the project, please get in touch with:
- Graeme Martin, Executive Officer Southern and Hills LGA at admin@shlga.sa.gov.au
- Council's Environment and Infrastructure team on 8551 0500 or localgov@victor.sa.gov.au
Sustainable Homes Expert Webinars
Are you looking for practical steps to cut energy bills and make your home more comfortable all year round? Have you been thinking of adapting your home or incorporating sustainable design techniques, and using resilient building materials?
A range of councils across South Australia, including the City of Victor Harbor, will be participating in a series of free webinars presented by energy experts from Renew. Renew have experience providing independent information on household sustainability for over 40 years.
The webinars will be held throughout 2023 on Tuesday or Thursday nights between 6:30 - 8pm. All webinars are free to our community.
There will be about an hour of expert chat and plenty of time for questions. If you're interested in creating a climate ready home, switching to electricity, using resilient building materials, reducing bills and/or limiting water usage, we encourage you to register.
This series is presented by Renew on behalf Resilient East, AdaptWest, Resilient South and Resilient Hills & Coasts. These four Regional Climate Partnerships represent 20 South Australian councils.