Herald Sun
By: Georgie Pilcher and Mary Bolling
Rooftop gardens, soil footpaths and mandatory parklands are among radical plans to prepare Melbourne for climate change.
And the city's stormwater drains, health system and public transport infrastructure will struggle to cope in a hotter climate, the report says.
Key lobby group the Committee For Melbourne has drafted recommendations to retrofit city buildings and make the public transport system green, to prepare Melbourne for the threat of global warming.
The Futuremap report handed to the Government today reveals Melburnians are already living with the effects of climate change including increased sea levels at Williamstown, hotter days, drier weather and more frequent storms. The report calls for immediate action from government, business and the wider community.
"All major planning activity should incorporate a climate change impact assessment,'' report author and Climate Change Taskforce co-chair Tony Wood said.
The report suggests:
- The immediate introduction of more green space to help cool streets.
- Replace concrete footpaths with plastic lattice filled with soil, gravel and grass to filter water into the ground.
- Collect stormwater and run-off in underground tanks.
- Increase support for low-income renters to install solar water heating.
- Compulsory parks and gardens in all planning processes.
The report also called for a program to allow workers to salary-sacrifice the cost of an annual Metcard, to counter incentives to use cars more under fringe-benefit tax concessions.
"At the moment, if you buy a Metcard for year, it's over $1000 -- we've spoken with Metlink, and we know there's an opportunity for employers in Victoria to buy in bulk assist employees in changing their travel patterns,'' Committee for Melbourne chief executive Sally Capp said.
A spokesman for Environment Minister Gavin Jennings said: "We welcome this report,''
He added that it would be considered in drafting the government's green paper on climate change.