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Over the next 25 years coastal communities worldwide are going to have to come to grips with the stresses of an increasing population and the impacts of climate change. Western Australia's response to these changes must be pre-emptive and include all levels of government working together to form a strategy that considers all aspects of the problem.
When preparing for climate change we cannot just deal with the presenting problems; we must mitigate our carbon emissions and subsequent impact on the environment. Our response must include considering such things as better and more innovative water, energy, and transport management both in and between coastal communities.
The population on the Australian Coast is expected to grow by more than three million in the next 25 years. This additional population will put an increased strain on coastal communities and their resources, including available coastal land. The additional strain put on these communities is likely to create conflict between local and state governments especially as environmental concerns begin to play a larger role in policy making. NPQ will be a coastal community with increased housing densities in a site which was previously degraded by human activity.
Making plans to adapt to the effects of climate change without mitigating our impact on the environment is short-sighted. Any strategy to deal with climate change must include measures to both adapt to and mitigate its effects. At NPQ this approach has been incorporated into every aspect of the design. In order to deal with changes already made to our coastal environment as well as mitigate impacts, future developments on our coastline must be soundly planned to efficiently utilise limited resources.
Water supplies in the Perth Coastal Area are already under stress as a result of increasing population and decreased rainfall. Over the past 30 years there has been a reduction in average rainfall, but extremely heavy rainfall episodes have increased local flooding.
Increased water supplies are vital in Western Australia and need to be secured for the future. Because of the predicted rainfall decrease in the metropolitan region, coastal water supplies will be put under increased strain. NPQ has developed a concept which includes all aspects of the issue from the storage, distribution, reuse, and creation of potable water to effective conservation.
NPQ aims to address the question of how to make a community sustainable by reducing its dependence on fossil fuels and reducing carbon emissions. In 2004, Australia released 564.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The desalination plant that was proposed for Sydney would produce up to 500 ML of water per day and would require 906 Giga Watt hours per year. This equates to between 480 000 and 950 000 tonnes of greenhouse gases per year, or a total increase of Australia's carbon emissions of between 0.085% and 0.168%.
At NPQ the desalination process is planned to be driven by wave power and have no impact on carbon emissions. Back-up power for desalinating seawater will come from other sources of renewable energy.
The majority of Western Australia's power is run by coal-fired power stations and gas turbines. NPQ will reduce the demand for any new coal-fired power and gas turbine stations to be built by using renewables. It is envisaged that there will be surplus energy created and that will be sold back to the existing grid.
In Western Australia the primary form of transport is the private car. Perth needs to look to a more sustainable future. NPQ will provide a more effective transport model, with greater reliance on electric-powered public transport, bicycles, water taxis and electric cars for residents and visitors.
Approximately 86% of Australians live in the coastal zone, relying on the resources there for their work, rest and play. The number of people on the coast has created an almost continuous line of suburbs and towns along Western Australia's south-west coast.
The population increase predicted in the next 25 years along our coasts will likely accelerate this trend. Because of the close proximity of these towns there is an excellent opportunity to expand the use of public transport in these communities. Transport lines in the form of buses and trains already exist but these could be expanded and improved to encourage commuters to use them more frequently.
NPQ will also provide an extensive and integrated bicycle path network. Although bicycles are suited for short journeys, they are a cheap and sustainable method of transport for well-planned coastal communities.
NPQ is such a well-planned and large-scale response to climate change. It will reduce Perth's coastal urban sprawl and the environmental damage caused by boats on the Swan River while creating a vibrant new coastal community.
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