Neighbourhood Issue: Climate costs and risks to councils
The findings and case studies in this report paint a picture of the impacts and scale of the challenge councils face, but also outline a pathway to overcome them. Additionally, it offers 22 recommendations for all levels of government, chief of which is for all levels of government to set more ambitious net-zero targets and act to drive down the burning of fossil fuels: coal, oil and gas.
The report's key findings are as follows:
1. Climate change is an immense challenge for all levels of government, but its impacts are felt most acutely at the local level.
2. Worsening extreme weather, driven by climate change, is compounding costs for councils. This includes mounting damage to council owned assets, rising insurance premiums and increasing liability risks.
3. Local government is playing a leading role in responding to climate change, but there are common barriers that councils face in trying to take further action.
4. Protecting communities from worsening extreme weather, and minimising the costs borne by them, requires climate leadership at all levels of government.
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