Need for a ‘call to arms’ - climate action needed.

A prominent Shepparton business leader and government adviser says it is time for district community leaders to step up and deliver solutions to meet the challenge of climate change.

David McKenzie is chair of the Goulburn Regional Partnership, one of a number of statewide bodies that advise the Victorian Regional Development Minister.

David McKenzie calls for action to address climate change.

He is also a director of Goulburn-Murray Water, a co-chair of the water policy think tank Goulburn Murray Irrigation District Water Leadership forum and managing director of property consultancy Opteon Goulburn North East.

Mr McKenzie said a hotter, drier future would present significant disruption over time to agriculture, irrigation and communities in this region.

‘‘That will have a ripple effect through our social fabric and the way towns organise themselves — not just farmers,’’ he said.

‘‘But there’s no call to arms. I am still surprised that leadership organisations and key institutions in the area are not actually anticipating this and showing leadership and asking what can we do to prepare ourselves for this.’’

Mr McKenzie said local leaders needed to take responsibility now, without waiting for governments to act.

‘‘If we wait for national leadership on this, we’re going to be waiting a long time,’’ he said.

‘‘It’s about personal accountability and responsibility.’’

Mr McKenzie said anyone with a local business that generated emissions should act now to reduce them.

He said for him, climate change was not about opinion.

‘‘I hate to use the word belief or believer when it comes to climate change,’’ he said.

‘‘That implies some sort of mystical magic. It’s like ‘do I believe in gravity?’.

‘‘I am a complete accepter of what climate scientists are telling us. It doesn’t worry me whether it’s man-made or a natural part of the cycle — there are a lot of things we could and should be doing as a society to organise ourselves, that we are not doing.

‘‘Part of that is adjusting our human activity to produce less emissions — I mean, why wouldn’t you?’’

Mr McKenzie pointed to a Climate-Ready Victoria report produced by the Victorian Government based on CSIRO figures that predict the climate of Shepparton in 2050 will be more like that of Griffith in the northern Riverina. He said a hotter climate would mean fewer frost hours.

‘‘That has significant implications,’’ he said. ‘‘Most of the fruit grown here needs a certain amount of frost hours to fruit for the next season. So we will need to shift to different crops.’’

Mr McKenzie said research and development, readily accessible information and guidance about how to adapt for individuals, business and agriculture was essential.

‘‘People are not coming together to confront this problem, which is a worry,’’ he said.

‘‘But I don’t think it’s necessarily too late for us to thoughtfully prepare for it.’’ 

● The News will publish more climate change views of community leaders in a subsequent edition.

Story by John Lewis from The Shepparton News - “Need for a ‘call to arms’ - climate action needed.”