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Page 102
Coastal Zones 2016
May 16-18, 2016
Volume 4, Issue 1(Suppl) Oceanography 2016
ISSN:2332-2632, OCN an open access journal
conferenceseries .com
May 16-18, 2016 Osaka, Japan
Coastal Zones International Conference on
Oceanography 2016, 4:1(Suppl)
Informed.City: Big Data Analytics for Climate Change Adaptation Planning – A Governance
Approach
Donovan Burton
Climate Planning Australia
Planning for the impacts of climate change is a complex and challenging issue. Solutions can only be driven through informed
decision-making and to date there is little evidence to suggest that this is occurring in any meaningful way in most of the
cities around the world. For local and city governments managing climate change is complex and fraught with challenges
associated with resource constraints, community buy-in, legal risks and political positioning. At the moment it seems that
there is an over-emphasis on the risk assessment approach to climate change adaptation – which more often than not results in
stagnant reports that lead to responses that are cherry-picked and tend to align with available resources or political allocations
of the day.
Focusing on climate change adaptation governance is about the core system that supports climate change adaptation
actions. It includes institutional arrangements, resource allocation, executive and interdepartmental support, inclusion in
strategic planning, financial planning and any other activity that will enable climate change adaptation to be mainstreamed
into a city council’s activities.
Donovan Burton has created a suite of indicators to help cities step away from the risk-assessment first approach. The
Informed.City™ process allows decision makers at the municipal level to take stock of where they are at in regards to climate
change adaptation. Think of the process similar to climate change adaptation genomics. Like genomics in the sciences the
Informed.City™ process allows the organisation to identify areas that may experience future shocks, identify markers that
require modification and help local and city governments transition towards mainstreaming adaptation. This presentation
highlights the results from over 50 Cities.
Comprehension and perception of international and domestic tourtists and Far North
Queensland residents in the presence of Irukandji Jellyfish warning signs
Lynda Crowley-Cyr
University of Southern Queensland, Australia
The Irukandji jellyfish sting can cause a range of symptoms from cramping and nausea to death. Aside from the health
implications, marine based industries such as fishing and tourism can be negatively impacted. The aim of the current
study was to assess comprehension of a sign used to warn the Irukandji danger. One hundred and nine local residents and
tourists who visit Palm Cove beach, on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef coastline, and Irukandji hot-spot, were interviewed
during the main Irukandji season to assess their understanding of the warning sign and their perceptions of swimming safety.
Over 70% of participants saw the sign, but many still thought it was safe to swim inside purpose-built marine stinger nets.
Those that knew it was unsafe to swim in the nets were unsure why. The message on the sign was found to be unclear as to
what the actual danger was and the potential risk posed by an Irukandji sting. Some words and colours were inconsistent with
beachgoers expectations of a danger sign. With regards to Irukandji risk, signs should include a brief overview of the Irukandji,
consequences of being stung, how to avoid being stung and what to do if a sting occur. In addition, fifty seven various signs
were counted in the immediate area perhaps resulting in signage overload. Other strategies could be employed in the local
area to keep people safe, including comprehension reviews in situ to improve warning signs, escalating warnings during peak
Irukandji times and distributing additional educational materials to visitors.