16
2.2. Planning for Climate Change and Resilience
Resilience has become an important and central concept in relation to planning for climate change.
Resilience is the ability to “bounce back”, cope or recover/thrive in the face of adversity or change.
Resilience is important because it enables us to adapt as circumstances change.
Given that changes are anticipated to take place in our climate that will require us to adapt, resilience is
an important characteristic that every community is going to need, whether it be in relation to natural
systems and landscapes, economic markets or the social fabric of its communities.
When developing a profile of the Western Adelaide region therefore, it is important to understand key
characteristics of the Western Adelaide region that may make the region vulnerable, or alternatively
provide opportunities to leverage off or provide strength. By understanding the attributes that contribute
to resilience, we can collect information that helps us understand how the Western Adelaide region is
situated.
Table 2.1
below provides a brief summary of the attributes that contribute to resiliency from an economic,
social and environmental perspective.
Table 2.1: Social, Economic, Environmental and Infrastructural Attributes that Contribute to Resilience
Attributes that can contribute to resilience
Social
x
Mutual trust
x
Participation
x
Social networks
x
Leadership
x
Involvement in decision making
x
Diversity
x
Skills and education
x
Access to services
x
Income
x
Physical and mental health
Economic
x
Strong local economy
x
Diverse business and employment opportunities (ie not reliant on one
industry/sector)
x
Local businesses are interdependent and use each other’s products/services
x
Locally controlled sources of finance and capital
x
Innovation
x
Insurance coverage
Environmental
x
Natural assets (e.g. rivers, creeks, wetlands, native vegetation, cliffs, dunes)
x
Natural assets protected from development or damage (eg sea level rise,
flooding)
x
Biodiversity (diversity of plants and animals)
