Adelaide City Council looks into impacts of climate change on Rundle Mall
Adelaide City Council has been criticised by its deputy mayor for opting to spend up to $60k addressing climate change issues it is unlikely to face until either 2030 or 2090. Is it money well spent?
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Adelaide City Council is “spinning tyres in the mud” by opting to spend up to $60,000 addressing climate change risks as far away as 2090, according to a councillor.
At a committee meeting on Tuesday night, Deputy Lord Mayor Alexander Hyde criticised the council for spending $24,000 on consultants to put together its Climate Change Risk and Governance Assessment report.
The council is now set to spend a further $35,000 on a plan to address the 283 risks identified in the report.
“I just picture spinning tyres in the mud … I don’t think the city needed to pay $25k to have someone tell us people sleeping rough get hot during extreme weather,” Cr Hyde said.
“I don’t need someone to tell me that today, I don’t need someone to tell me something in 2030 and I certainly don’t need someone to tell me in 2090 – I know those risks as a lay person.”
Cr Hyde said it was unessessary to spend money on consultants when the council already employed about 12 people in its sustainability department.
It comes as the council agreed to spend up to $14 million on redundancy packages.
The climate change report, compiled by Edge Environment and Climate Planning, highlighted 283 climate change risks the council could experience by 2030 and 2090.
Risks included the impacts of heatwaves on Rundle Mall sales, as well as potential problems the Adelaide Town Hall, Aquatic Centre, U Parks, Central Market and North Adelaide Gold Links could face as the weather warms.
At the meeting, Cr Robert Simms – a climate change advocate – said it would be money well spent.
“Having a report by experts that identifies risk … I think is very important,” Cr Simms said.
After the meeting, the council’s economic development and sustainability associate director Michelle English said the report put the council on the forefront of addressing climate change.
“This report presents one of the most comprehensive assessments of climate risk currently undertaken for a South Australian council,” she said.
“By commissioning this report, the City of Adelaide is being proactive in identifying and understanding its risks in relation to climate change adaptation governance, the physical risks of climate change to assets and services, as well as transition risks and opportunities facing the organisation as a result of climate change.”
The council will debate the report, and discuss whether it should be “noted”, on Tuesday, September 8.