Climate change has the potential to impact our way of life in many ways. While we continue to participate in global action to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, some change is now inevitable, and we must be prepared to face the challenges that climate change presents. In the coming decades, we expect to observe increased minimum and maximum temperatures and more high-fire-danger days. We will experience ever reducing rainfall totals, but more intense rainfall and flooding events. Along the coastline we will have to adapt to a rising sea level and changed storm behaviour. It is important that we identify the risks associated with climate change as early as possible, to improve our ability to adapt to the change,
Yankalilla District council has collaborated with other councils in the region, NRM boards, the South Australian government and the Federal government to develop a regional adaption plan for climate change. The project is known as Resilient Hills & Coasts [link https://www.alexandrina.sa.gov.au/page.aspx?u=2402], and has set out a path to improving climate change resilience for communities in the Adelaide Hills, Fleurieu Peninsular and Kangaroo Island regions.
The next step is to create an action plan specific to the Yankalilla district. This will be our strategic vision for the way in which our communities can adapt to a changing climate, and will match the approach taken by our neighbours in the Resilient Hills & Coasts framework. More information will be available once the adaptation plan has been completed.