Climate Change and Tasmania


Tasmania is actively preparing itself with knowledge and strategies to handle projected impacts of climate change.
Primary Industries and Water Minister David Llewellyn said that today's International Day of Action on Climate Change (Saturday 4 November) is an important opportunity to take stock of what has and has not been done to address the issue.
Mr Llewellyn said that in the medium term, to 2040, research suggests that Tasmania will need to accommodate to changed climatic conditions to a lesser extent than other parts of Australia but nevertheless will experience:
· the effects of sea-level rise;
· increased rainfall in the west and central Tasmania;
· decreased rainfall in the north-east for parts of the year;
· more winter and early spring rains;
· higher annual minimum temperatures; and
· a small increase in wind speeds.
He said that the Department of Primary Industries and Water had:
· Mapped the entire coast of mainland Tasmania for risk of inundation from storm surge and 84% of the coast for vulnerability to erosion;
· Held information sessions on this for local government and others involved in the planning system;
· Started a two-year project to develop tools specifically designed to assist planning authorities incorporate this information in their planning and management decisions;
· Scoped the likely effects of projected climate change on Tasmania's bushfire risk;
· Focussed strongly on on-farm water development and other opportunities through the Water Development Plan;
· Developed a Climate Change Strategy which was recently released for public comment to encourage community debate on climate change issues.
Mr Llewellyn said that a major plank of the proposed Climate Change Strategy is based on maintaining Tasmania's already low greenhouse gas emissions.
“Tasmania is a country mile in front of other States in clean energy.
“While much of this is based on our development of a comprehensive hydro-electric system, Tasmania also had invested in new greenhouse-friendly energy sources such as:
· Development of wind farms
· Conversion of the Bell Bay Power Station from oil to gas
· Rolling out natural gas as an alternative. By April next year nearly 40,000 domestic, commercial or industrial premises will be able to connect to natural gas.”
Mr Llewellyn said that Tasmania is taking a range of actions to tackle both the causes of global warming and to accommodate the effects of it.
"We could be doing more though and that’s why I am calling on people like the Greens and Environmental Groups to make detailed submissions to the Draft Climate Change Strategy.
Submissions close on 31 January 2007
“I also want to make a plea to John Howard – please change your attitude to renewable energy and this would enable our expertise in wind-farming to assist other States lose their reliance on dirty energy sources.”