Local government planning responses to the physical impacts of climate change in New South Wales, Australia

Effective policy responses of governments to the impacts of unavoidable climate change require effective adaptation plans. This paper presents the results of original research conducted in New South Wales, Australia, on the planning response of local governments for adapting to the physical impacts of climate change. Local government is the level of governance that is at the ‘coal face’ of dealing with sea level rise, coastal erosion, increased storm events, increased flooding, increased drought and other physical impacts of climate change in Australia. The study investigates the perceptions of local government planners regarding the actions taken within their local government area to plan for the physical impacts of climate change, the effectiveness of that response, and what further actions they perceive should be undertaken in the future. This applied evaluation research is conducted within a postpositivist paradigm and is analysed through the theoretical framework of adaptive management. The results of the study indicate that more needs to be done to plan for the physical impacts of climate change, including conducting risk assessments, policy development and collaboration between councils.