Reality bites: Rochester’s 2011 floods were a harsh reminder of the impact of climate change, a fact not lost on Campaspe Shire councillors who voted in favour of a strongly worded environmental strategy.
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Geoff Adams
Campaspe Shire’s Environmental Strategy has been criticised by Campaspe Shire councillor John Zobec for its alarmist nature and lack of facts attached to generalised environmental statements.
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Cr Zobec stood alone at the meeting in his opinion of the 30-page document, attended by just seven of the nine-member council in the absence of Cr Tony Marwood and Mayor Chrissy Weller.
He heavily criticised the wording in several sections of the strategy, which he said flippantly used terms such as catastrophic and uninsurable.
The document, which he said did not support its claims with sufficient information, was passed by the council in a 6-1 vote.
Among the major themes of the strategy was Campaspe Shire’s commitment to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2035.
That is a Corporate Emissions Reduction Plan that applies to council’s operation alone, not to industries and agricultural operations outside of shire’s control.
Cr Zobec not only stood alone in his assessment of the strategy, but several councillors — including highly regarded Waranga-based environmentalist Cr Adrian Weston —praised the report for its portrayal of just how bad a situation Campaspe residents, and Australians as a whole, found themselves in.
“The strategy is a re-fresh of the policy that has been used by council for the last four years,” Cr Weston said.
“It builds on the last strategy and is consistent with climate change and loss of habitat for animals, along with water management.
Wording worry: Campaspe shire Councillor John Zobec voted against the adoption of the environmental strategy.
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“This strategy abides by all the legislative requirements that we must adhere to.”
Cr Rob Amos said council was doing a lot of work around mitigation, including the installation of solar panels on some of its community buildings.
“We are restoring native vegetation through the rural tree scheme, but we also need to adopt an urban tree-management plan,” Cr Amos said.
“It is something really important that the council should put in place.”
Cr Leanne Pentreath said the community needed to have a close look at this document.
“This effects everyone. The council has some pretty high aims with this strategy,” she said.
In speaking against the draft Cr Zobec requested a two-minute extension to explain his position on the strategy
“I want to speak against the draft. The language is what concerns me, particularly in relation to climate change,” he said.
“The majority of the draft is well written, but the climate change component isn’t (page 21-22 of agenda).
“It talks about the increase in temperature, of one to 1.4 per cent and the annual rainfall figures seem incorrect.
“It talks about extreme flooding and there is a lot of misinformation in the draft.
“I am concerned with the wording uninsurable.
“The Nicholls electorate is at the highest risk. It says the area will become uninhabitable in the most extreme circumstances.”
He questioned where batteries and other renewable energy equipment on solar farms and wind farms would go at the end of their lives.
“They will end up as landfill,” he said.
Cr Zobec encouraged the community to read the document and supply some feedback.
In response Cr Weston said no science was absolute, but the science around human-induced impacts on the climate was quite compelling.
“On that basis the precautionary principal should apply, in this instance, and in all scenarios,” Cr Weston said.
