Climate Change Action Planning for Local Government Workshop Package
The Workshop Package
The Climate Change Action Planning for Local Government Workshop Package (the Workshop Package) is a resource designed for NSW councils for use in facilitating workshops and meetings to plan actions for climate change mitigation and/or adaptation.
By using the Workshop Package you can ensure risk management principles underpin your climate change action planning. The Workshop Package encourages the strategising process to be inclusive, iterative and adaptive - revisiting decisions to use new information and revised approaches. A template for a climate change action plan, a document that can be used to summarise a council's response to climate change, is provided within the Workshop Package. As an alternative to developing a new plan, councils may wish to consider integrating climate change actions into existing corporate plans and the Workshop Package also outlines this approach.
The Workshop Package offers:
- step by step guidance for preparing for and facilitating a series of structured workshops and meetings
- risk assessment tools and templates
- technical guidance and references
- PowerPoint presentations
- details for group activities and facilitation techniques
- evaluation forms
- a template for a climate change action plan
- examples and case studies
Councils can select relevant modules of the Workshop Pacake and tailor a program to suit their particular needs. A council wishing to utilise all modules of the Workshop Package might follow the suggested program of workshops and meetings in the Flow Chart (396KB).
The Workshop Package contains:
- Overview:outlines the format and contents of the Workshop Package and guidance for getting started
- Module 1 Introduction to Climate Change: provides guidance for preparing, delivering and evaluating an introductory workshop
- Module 2 Setting the Context: explains how to deliver a presentation and a workshop activity to explore climate change impacts, including uncertainty and assumptions. This module sets the context for the climate change risk assessment
- Module 3 Assessing Climate Change Risk: covers preparing and presenting a risk framework and working as a group to brainstorm, analyse and prioritise risk statements
- Module 4 Identifying and Prioritising Adaptation Actions: builds on the outputs of module 3 to identify and evaluate potential adaptation actions
- Module 5 Undertaking an Emissions Inventory: provides guidance in developing a basic greenhouse gas emissions inventory for Council and identifying the major sources of emissions
- Module 6 Identifying and Prioritising Mitigation Actions: outlines methods for identifying and prioritising actions for reducing Council's greenhouse gas emissions
- Module 7 Preparing an Action Plan: describes key considerations, characteristics and components of robust action plans
- Module 8 Reviewing the Action Plan: offers an approach to reviewing Council's climate change action plan
- Tools: for risk assessment and multi-criteria assessment
- Evaluation forms: to evaluate the workshops and gather information for the development of Council's climate change action plan
- Further information: links to useful references
The Climate Change Action Planning for Local Government Workshop Package forms part of the Climate Change Action Pack website which was developed in 2007. The Climate Change Action Pack aims to assist councils to mitigate and adapt to climate change. You can find out more about the purpose of the Pack and read the Foreword from the Presidents.
Looking at the Workshop Package?
Help us assess the level of interest and up take of the Workshop Package by answering 4 short questions in the anonymous form (by clicking here).
Further feedback may also be provided by emailing climatechange@lgsa.org.au
Acknowledgements
This project, "Climate Change Action Planning for Local Government" has been assisted by the NSW Government through its Environmental Trust.
The LGSA acknowledges the valuable assistance and input from DECCW, members of the Project Reference Group (2009-2010) and those who have provided feedback and ideas including at the focus group meeting. The LGSA is particularly appreciative of the contact people at the councils which pilot tested the Workshop Package including: Adele Casey and Kirsty O'Meley (Bland Shire Council), Sharon D'Elboux (formerly of Bland Shire Council), Scott Lenton (Clarence Valley Council), Evie Spice and Jonathon Midwinter (The Hills Shire Council) and Donna Galvin (WBC Strategic Alliance).