Minimising pollution and waste risks in a changing climate

Victoria’s climate is changing. In recent decades Victoria has become hotter and drier during the cool season. It has experienced more extreme weather events. These changes are expected to continue under a warming climate.

A climate hazard is a climate-related event or condition that has the potential to cause harm. Climate hazards that affect Victoria include floods, heatwaves, drought, bushfires and sea-level rise.

In this guidance, physical climate risks are defined as:

When infrastructure, operations, or systems are exposed to climate hazards, problems can increase. Existing risks may become worse or new risks may appear. These risks from pollution and waste can harm people’s health or the environment.

Examples of physical climate risks are:

• increased bushfire weather and fire activity could increase fire risk at your facility. This could increase the risk of harm to nearby communities
• increased dry periods could increase dust emissions from your facility. This could increase the risk of harm to people and surface waters nearby
• more extreme weather events (such as bushfires and floods) could result in loss of power or damaged infrastructure. This could lead to increased harmful emissions escaping to the environment
• more storm events could increase the risk of contaminated stormwater runoff. This could lead to pollution of nearby surface waters and land
• sea-level rise can lead to flooding and increased risk of pollution to surface waters.

The Environment Protection Act 2017 (the Act) requires people to take responsibility for their actions. If an activity could cause a risk of harm, those risks must be minimised so far as reasonably practicable. ‘Risk of harm’ means to human health or the environment from pollution or waste. This is the general environmental duty (GED).

Importantly, the GED does not just require that the physical risk of harm to human health or the environment be minimised. Non-physical risks of harm from pollution or waste, must also be reduced so far as reasonably practicable. For example, risks to Traditional Owner cultural values and psychological health.

This guidance will help you:

• assess and minimise your physical climate risks
• meet your GED
• with information on recent Victorian climate science
• with examples of controls you may use for minimising pollution and waste risks in a changing climate.

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions contribute to climate change. This guidance does not relate to GHG emissions. Learn more about how to minimise GHG emissions from your business.

Your approach to assessing and managing risk will depend on the nature and scale of your activities and how complex they are. It also depends on the location of the activity and kinds of risks from climate change you need to manage.

Climate change is likely to increase or create new risks of harm from businesses. This is particularly for those engaging in medium to high-risk activities. The greater the risk of harm, the greater the expectation for you to eliminate or reduce the risks, so far as reasonably practicable

There are other relevant duties in the Act relating to pollution and waste that you must follow.

Audience

This guidance is for Victorian businesses that carry out medium to high-risk activities. Regardless of whether they hold an EPA permission.

Medium to high-risk activities in this guidance are:

• activities that have a medium to high potential to cause harm under current climatic conditions
• sites located in climate-vulnerable areas like floodplains, coastal zones or bushfire prone regions
• existing activities where climate change has already increased or caused pollution or waste
• any of the following activities:
  • outdoor storage and handling of liquids and solid materials. Outdoor activities are more exposed to climate hazards
  • outdoor storage and treatment of waste
  • storage and treatment of wastewater
  • activities that could generate offsite pollution or waste from:
    • outdoor plant
    • equipment
    • pipework
  • underground storage of chemicals
  • indoor activities that could cause harmful gases or particles to escape outside into the air (e.g. damage to buildings and structures)

Some activities need a permission from us. To find out what you need, go to climate change requirements.

The guidance helps in the design of new developments and operation of existing activities. It does not include construction activities, given their temporary nature. See our guidance for the construction industry.

You may have already identified climate hazards that may cause new risks through your risk management process.

Some business activities pose a low risk of harm. For example, they may generate small amounts of waste that can go in normal bins. Examples include retail stores, offices and cafes.

If your business activities are low-risk, go to Appendix A - How to consider climate change if your business activities are low-risk.

For the remainder of this guidance, when we refer to ‘activity’ we mean any medium to high-risk activity.

Victoria’s changing climate

Victoria’s Climate Science Report 2024 (VCSR24) has the best available scientific evidence on Victoria’s climate. Highlights include:

• Under a high emissions scenario Victoria is expected to experience average warming of 1.5 °C by 2050 and 3.1 °C by 2090. This is compared to the period between 1986-2005.
• Under a low emissions scenario Victoria is expected to warm by 1.1°C by 2050, with little further warming. This is compared to 1986 to 2005.
• Climate hazards are also changing. These are projected to be exacerbated under a warming climate.

In the VCSR24, The Victorian Government recognises climate change disproportionately impacts Aboriginal communities. Climate change compounds the loss of traditional connections to Country. It poses a risk to cultural heritage, including traditional laws, customs and practices. Climate change impacts on Country include:

• sea-level rise
• the presence or absence of water
• changes in plant and animal behaviour
• increased intensity and frequency of bushfires and extreme weather events (VCSR24).