Adaptation means being well informed about the risks and impacts of climate change and pairing this knowledge with learnings gained from climate science to find responses to challenges posed by climate change.
Whilst we understand the need for mitigation, we also accept that we need to adapt to the changes that are coming. It's an active process that informs the way we operate and the choices we make in redeveloping the waterfront.
A significant achievement for us has been the development and adoption of the Climate Change Adaptation Pathway. It documents what is known now about the potential risks and the adaptation responses already being implemented and sets out what is required for us to operate successfully in the dynamic and continuously evolving environment that characterises climate change. It shows that we take the issue seriously and will continue to look for ways to make sure we are responding to the potential impacts.
We have also clearly set out what we expect from our development partners in response to the potential risks of a changing climate. Our private sector partners will:
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Adopt resilient design principles and be adaptable to predicted climate effects including more severe and frequent weather events, predicted sea level rise and the associated potential rise in the water table. This involves consideration of risk and resilience to both flooding and drought.
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Design residential and non-residential buildings to ensure the comfort of their occupants in a future climate that may be warmer.
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Adopt a low impact urban design and development approach.
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Incorporate shade, shelter and green space in their designs for the public realm.
We also hold them to a thorough and comprehensive list of standards that we believe need to be met, covering everything from provision of emergency power to ensuring that buildings have waterproof basement pumping stations to deal with possible flooding. For example:
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Buildings will be designed to be wet-proof and incorporate resilient design principles to ensure adaptability to changes in future climate and aid recovery from any flooding at ground or basement levels.
We will document the various adaptation methods implemented and keep you up to date with what we're doing.
Climate Change Adaptation Pathway
A significant achievement for us has been the development and adoption of the Climate Change Adaptation Pathway.
It documents what is known now about the potential risks and the adaptation responses already being implemented and sets out what is required for us to operate successfully in the dynamic and continuously evolving environment that characterises climate change. It shows that we take the issue seriously and will continue to look for ways to make sure we are responding to the potential impacts.