Red Cross has worked with communities in the Yorke & Mid North and Eyre Peninsula regions to develop a simple, user friendly guide to engaging communities on climate change.

The Government of South Australia’s Prospering in a Changing Climate – A Climate Change Adaptation Framework for South Australia, states that a critical component of successful climate change adaptation will be a community that is able to understand what climate change means for them and what they can do to adapt.  Following from this Framework, the Yorke and Mid North and Eyre Peninsula regions developed Regional Climate Change Adaptation Plans.

As well as working across sectors such as water, fisheries and infrastructure to implement the Plans, it is essential that communities at the household level are engaged, informed and play an active role in building their resilience to the changing climate.

Based on this premise, Red Cross received funding through the Department of Environment Water and Natural Resources to partner with EPICCA (Eyre Peninsula Integrated Climate Change Agreement) and YMNRA (Yorke and Mid North Regional Alliance) and consult with local communities to develop a strategy for engagement around climate change adaptation.

The consultations resulted in Climate Ready Communities, a Guide for engaging communities and individuals with emergency preparedness and resilience.

The Guide was designed as a starting point for local government, service providers and community groups to engage communities to take action at a local level by being better prepared for the increasing frequency and severity extreme weather events.