Climate ready city

Learn how Adelaide is becoming climate ready.

Changes to the global climate (climate change) are clear. Documented increases in the average air and ocean temperature (by over 1 °C), widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising average sea level are just some examples.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s most recent Special Report details the impacts of global warming of 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels.

What does this mean for Adelaide?

In Adelaide the impacts of a changing climate are already being felt. The following are the projected local trends, and some snapshots of what we are already experiencing as documented by the Bureau of Meteorology’s Annual Climate Statement 2018.

  • In January 2019, Australia experienced its hottest month on record with 24 January setting a new record high of 46.6°C in the Adelaide CBD.
  • There were three separate heatwaves in 2018, each with five or more days over 35°C.
  • 2018 was the third-warmest year on record for Australia with the mean temperature +1.14°C above the 1961–1990 average
  • 2018 was the sixth-warmest year on record for Adelaide.

  • The Adelaide CBD did not record rain for 47 days in summer 2018/19, having our driest start to the year since 1957
  • Adelaide CBD rainfall for February 2019 was 32% of the long-term average
  • A higher proportion of total annual rainfall in recent decades has come from heavy rain days

How is it affecting our way of life?

Potential impacts of climate change to residents, visitors and businesses within Adelaide and North Adelaide could include:

  • negative health impacts due to heat waves, particularly to vulnerable community members who succumb to heat stress easily
  • impacts of heat waves on the economy and businesses, particularly sectors such as retail and hospitality
  • reduced water availability and increasing heat resulting in increased stress and resources required for maintaining open space, public realm and vegetation.

What is Council doing?

The City of Adelaide takes climate change seriously.

We are responding in two ways through both substantial reductions in greenhouse gases (mitigation) and helping to prepare for and respond to the changing climate (adaptation).

For over 20 years, Council has worked to reduce our own emissions and have identified 10 key projects to make significant reductions in our own operations.

It is our goal to make Adelaide one of the world’s first carbon neutral cities through the Carbon Neutral Adelaide initiative, to accelerate emission reduction in the community.

By thinking and planning now, the city and the community will be in a better position to manage the challenges of climate change and take advantage of any opportunities.

Below are three ways that the City of Adelaide is helping to make Adelaide climate ready.

In the City of Adelaide, temperatures in the built-up areas can be as much as 8°C hotter than in the surrounding Adelaide Park Lands (Guan et al., 2013).

The difference in temperature is caused by heat captured in roads, footpaths and buildings, and heat emitted from sources such as vehicles and air conditioning units. This is known as the urban heat island (UHI) effect.

Keeping the city cooler will require more shade, less hard, dark surfaces and higher soil moisture. This can be achieved through well-designed buildings, fewer and narrower roads and hard surfaces, and using light coloured, natural and permeable materials.

Cool Roads

In 2020, the City of Adelaide with Climate-KIC Australia and the Department for Environment and Water (DEW) undertook the Cool Road Adelaide project to test heat reflective seal coats that may help combat urban heat now and in the future.

Three seal coats on the same road (Bowen Street West, Adelaide) were trailed to understand the advantages and disadvantages of the products, taking into consideration urban heat, road preservation and community perception. The seal coats were tested for both land surface and air temperature. The results showed varying success of between a 2.9°C and 8.7°C difference in reduced surface temperature.

View the Cool Road Adelaide final report.

Cool Roofs

Rising temperatures are creating hotter and drier climate conditions making the city more vulnerable to the urban heat island effect. ‘Cool’ roofs are a climate mitigation and adaptation tool used in various ways and to varying extents worldwide. Whilst the topic is often raised anecdotally or generally there is a lack of clear local research, and clear local advice. Australia wide we lack any standards pertaining to the design or performance of cool roofs.

To build the Council’s knowledge and understanding on the subject, we partnered with the University of Adelaide to undertake a trial and study using a ceramic cool roof coating. Key findings of the Cool Roofing trial were:

  • The cool roof coating is shown to reduce the surface temperature of conventional dark roof facing west up to 17°C.
  • The cool roof coating resulted in an average air temperature reduction of 1.2°C at 200mm above the roof surface and 1.1°C inside the roof space with insulation below the metal roof sheets and 1.4°C indoor space cooling.
  • The cooling impact of the cool roof coating is the highest in warm and sunny weather conditions. With metal having high thermal conductivity and thin profile on roofs, the cooling impact of the coating is reduced in colder ambient temperatures and under cloudy sky.
  • This is beneficial since there will be less cooling penalty in colder months of the year than the benefit on the hotter months.
  • The cool coating can effectively maintain the indoor air temperature up to 6°C lower than the outdoor air temperature during heatwaves.

    Results from the study informed the development of priorities within the Integrated Climate Strategy 2030 adopted by Council in June 2024.

    View the Cool Roof Adelaide final report.

    In February 2019, Council brought together senior representatives from key South Australian and Federal government agencies in an event called Feeling Hot Hot Hot! The event was open to the public, and aimed to better prepare our community for the challenges posed by extreme weather and heat waves in Adelaide. Panellists provided advice on practical actions to manage risks and be climate ready. As a result, 91 per cent of respondents felt the event had increased their understanding of heatwaves.

    Watch a summary of the Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot event.

    The City of Adelaide is part of Resilient East, a partnership between the eight eastern metropolitan councils which aims to improve the resilience of our communities, assets and infrastructure, local economies and natural environment so they can cope with the inevitable impacts and challenges of climate change.

    The Resilient East Regional Climate Change Adaptation Plan came into operation in 2016. The Plan was developed with peak bodies, business and residents’ groups across the region. The Project is supported through a partnership Climate Change Sector Agreement with the South Australian Government that was signed on 23 March 2017.

    What can you do?

    There are many things you can do to become climate ready and be prepared for heatwaves.

    Below are some links to information to help you:

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