The north-western side of Lake Macquarie, between Teralba and Toronto, offers a great lifestyle. It’s important we all protect and care for our community, environmental assets and economy now and into the future.
We want to work with the community to proactively plan for and adapt to flooding, sea and lake level rise, bush fire, urban heat and other climate hazards that can impact on social, economic and environmental wellbeing.
We are planning for climate resilience in the lakeside suburbs of Teralba, Booragul, Marmong Point, Woodrising, Bolton Point, Fennel Bay, Fassifern, Blackalls Park and Toronto. Project findings and lessons learned may also be of benefit to neighbouring suburbs and other communities around the lake and across the city.
The nine lakeside suburbs from Teralba to Toronto will build climate resilience by proactively planning and preparing for and adapting to current and emerging climate related hazards.
The project outcomes are adaptable and will be further developed during the collaborative process with our community. The project aims to meet the following outcomes:
Teralba to Toronto climate resilience planning is primarily focused on climate change adaptation. Climate change mitigation (greenhouse gas reduction) is being addressed by several other programs outlined in Council’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy.
Council acknowledges:
Council is committed to collaborating with community over the next two years and beyond to develop and implement a climate resilience plan for suburbs from Teralba to Toronto.
We’ve completed phase one of community engagement. Phases two and three of community engagement will occur in 2024-2025. In between engagement phases, there will be ongoing collaboration with the Teralba to Toronto Working Group.
Council is still accepting new members to the Working Group. Visit shape.lakemac.com.au/Teralba-to-Toronto to receive project updates, learn more about how Council will engage with community or to get involved in the planning for a more climate resilient future.
The bureau of Meteorology, CSIRO and NSW Government agencies predict an increase in climate-related hazards over the coming decades. Some of the climate hazards facing the north-western side of the lake include:
Climate hazards can have an impact on our social, environmental and economic wellbeing. Council is committed to keeping our community, environment and assets safe from climate change risks.
Council have identified assets in the north-western side of the lake at risk of damage from climate hazards. These assets include private and public buildings, roads, sports fields and jetties and wharves. Climate hazards could also impact our planning area by:
We must plan for the future now and better prepare our community, environment and assets for current and emerging climate hazards and their impacts on the nine lakeside suburbs between Teralba and Toronto.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) defines climate change as a change in the state of the climate that can be identified by changes in the mean and/or variability of its properties, and that persists for an extended period, typically decades or longer. It refers to any change in climate over time, whether due to natural variability or as a result of human activity.
Climate change adaptation is the adjustment to the actual or expected effects of climate change. Adaptation plays a key role in reducing exposure and vulnerability to climate change, and can be proactive, reactive, incremental or transformational.
Climate resilience is the capacity to prepare for, respond to, and recover from the impacts of hazardous climatic events and/or trends while incurring minimal damage to societal wellbeing, the economy and the environment
Climate change risk is the potential negative or positive impacts of natural hazards and climate under the influence of rising global greenhouse gas emissions.