Revealed: The united front on the Gold Coast on climate change to protect beaches and homes from flooding
Fearing serious damage to beaches and hinterland rainforests along with flooding, tourism and community groups want urgent action to cut carbon emissions by at least 50 per cent by 2030.
Gold Coast
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GOLD Coast tourism and community groups are uniting to urge cutting carbon emissions by half by 2030, fearing serious damage to city beaches, hinterland rainforests and flooding.
The trigger for the unity of the Gold Coast-based groups is the potential for future storms and cyclones on the Coast causing flooding surges and financial costs for residents.
Gold Coast peak environmental body Gecko is co-ordinating the groups which warn the Gold Coast is vulnerable to the impacts of rising sea levels, storm surges and extreme weather events with some residents unable to pay for house insurance.
The climate change alliance includes a wide range from Binna Burra Lodge to Save Our Spit and the Nerang Community Association.
It comes as Australian Conservation Foundation polling of Gold Coasters shows 64 per cent of voters in McPherson, 62 per cent in Moncrieff and 63 per cent in Fadden say climate action plans will influence their federal vote.
Alliance spokesman Lois Levy, from Gecko, said letters had been sent to the Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese, ahead of the United Nations Climate Change conference (COP26) in Glasgow from October 31.
“There is no time left to keep debating this issue. The UN is calling it Code Red for humanity,” Ms Levy said.
“Global leaders attending COP26 say it’s the last chance for all countries to commit to strong collective action to cut carbon emissions. This is a race – to reverse climate change before it’s too late.”
Ms Levy said the Think Global: Act Local poll showed most Coast residents want action on climate change.
“Climate change-induced damage to beaches, green hinterland and national parks would have an enormous cost for Gold Coast residents, as it would hurt tourism and other industries, cost jobs and the health and safety of our community,” she said.
The results of polling in the Gold Coast federal electorates put pressure on all MPs to support climate change targets, Ms Levy said.
“These results mean that voters expect our politicians in Federal, State and local government to act immediately to reduce carbon emissions, increase use of renewable energy, create sustainable industries and clean jobs,” she said.
“The Gold Coast is a special biodiversity hot spot and political candidates are on notice that residents want climate action now to protect our unique environment.
“Gold Coast (City) Council, which has not had a climate action strategy since 2014, must lift its game to urgently reduce its emissions and create a cleaner safer future for local residents.”
Bond University environmental science expert Daryl McPhee this month said new data had used a “worst case scenario” approach, indicating by year 2100 global sea levels could have increased by 0.84m.
New mapping shows areas potentially under water including parts of Biggera Waters, Labrador, Paradise Point, Runaway Bay, Coomera, Carrara, Palm Beach, Currumbin and Tweed Heads.
The council in 2018 released updated mapping on Q100 levels which caused a storm of protest from the development industry.
Councillors received a report on the Guragunbah flood plain – 22km long, 7km wide and covering 1836ha — showing it provided huge water storage for the city in cyclonic events, protecting suburbs from Southport to Burleigh.
They supported a temporary law to stop development there after council received numerous development applications. Flood levels in the area can be above 4m in a major event and vary between 1.4m to 2.6m during regular downpours.
The council has spent $14 million on its beach nourishment program and $18 million on an artificial reef at Palm Beach, delivering 3,026,758 cubic metres of sand.
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