Our Region: We need to talk – there’s good news and bad news

Let’s face down the bad news first. Whether you ‘believe in’ climate change; whether you think the noticeable fluctuations in weather patterns are due to natural variability or as a result of human activity; whether you have no opinion at all, or think that it’s a global problem, far beyond our local concerns…

…there is no denying that the Western Adelaide Region is already experiencing extreme and hazardous climatic events, such as flooding from intense rainfall and storm surge as well as extreme temperatures and heatwaves. Recent storm events have resulted in interruptions to our electricity supply and key transport routes.

The AdaptWest Climate Change Adaptation Plan looks 50 years into the future and shows how our Western Region weather patterns will develop over the next few decades. In short:

Average annual temperatures are likely to rise by up to 2°C; average rainfall will decrease by up to 20%, while rainfall intensity will increase: for each degree of global warming, extreme daily rainfall may increase by 7%. Heatwaves – sequences of three or more consecutive days with average temperatures of at least 32°C, are projected to increase from 1 in 20 years under the baseline period to one in every 3-5 years. The global mean sea level rise could be as much as 0.26 m, as warming of the ocean results in a 1.4°C rise in global sea surface temperatures, with a simultaneous 0.2 pH unit decrease in ocean acidity.

You don’t need to be a meteorologist or oceanographer to know that, for our Western community – with over 300,000 residents of all ages; major industries and facilities as well as precious marine flora and fauna, all co-existing in low-lying coastal lands – extreme heat, rising sea levels and intense, flooding rainfall pose serious problems.

The good news is… We can do something about it. Here. And now.

AdaptWest is not a blueprint for preventing or eradicating global climate change. It’s about what can be done to prepare this important region for the identified changes that we know are coming.

You have visited this website because you care about the Adelaide Western Region: because you live here, work here, operate a business here, own property here; perhaps have a dear friend or relatives living here – or are planning to buy, live or invest in the West.

Readiness for known challenges leads to targeted responses and builds community resilience to the effects of climate change specifically affecting our corner of the globe.

You may love this region, or you may have a vested interest in it. Either way, The Adaptation Plan offers genuinely useful information, priorities and strategies to help you, your family, your business partners, assure the future of Western Adelaide.