Councils up with climate change

DESPITE disagreement in the public forum, human-induced climate change is not being ignored by the councils on either side of the border.

DESPITE disagreement in the public forum, human-induced climate change is not being ignored by the councils on either side of the border.

Gold Coast City Council have advertised an opening for a climate change planner to join their climate change co-ordination team.

A GCCC spokeswoman said the planner would play an important part in the team.

"Council employs a team of staff to co-ordinate the city's response to climate change, both through mitigation and adaptation measures," she said.

"This team was established in 2009 and currently consists of four professionals, including a team leader, specialist climate change scientist and two experienced planners."

The council has committed itself to a path as contained in the Climate Change Strategy 2009-14.

"To lead our city in response to the risks and opportunities posed by climate change to the city, the community and council's operations, enabling climate change resilience for our future."

Although they run a smaller operation than the GCCC, Tweed Shire Council has had somebody working in the same field for more than a decade.

A TSC spokeswoman said they had had a dedicated sustainability and climate change officer for 11 years.

"Dan Walton is currently the Climate Change and Sustainability Program Leader," she said.

"Climate change adaptation is embedded in all of the NRM programs and several other units within the council. In many cases Dan facilitates projects across units on climate change mitigation and adaptation."

The GCCC spokeswoman said they had a leading climate change strategy.

"Gold Coast City Council takes climate change seriously," she said. "Council has adopted a carbon neutral by 2020 target for its day-to-day operations.

"The team oversees implementation of the city's Climate Change Strategy, adopted in May 2009. At that time it was believed to be the first local government strategy to address both mitigation and adaptation to climate change."

Did you know?

The Gold Coast City Council has set a carbon-neutral target for 2020.

Originally published as Councils up with climate change