ABOUT US

Council and community are working together to protect the local places and people we love from climate pollution.

Climate pollution is causing our planet to overheat. The biggest source of climate pollution is the extracting and burning of fossil fuels, such as gas and coal. While this has massive impacts at the global level, it significantly impacts our families, homes, parks, waterways and wildlife locally.

We are experiencing more extreme heat days, heavier rainfall and more frequent storms. This more extreme weather is impacting our health and wellbeing, the cost of household goods, the urgency of upgrades to community buildings, and disrupting community services and events.

Merri-bek is proud to be a local government leader in responding to the threat and impacts of an increasingly volatile climate. Across our council, the main sources of climate pollution come from coal and gas fired electricity (36%), gas (26%), transport (22%), waste (7%) and industrial processing (9%). Emissions data for Merri-bek has been estimated by Snapshot.

Our approach

We’re taking a coordinated approach to climate change through a range of strategies and plans that guide how we reduce emissions, protect the environment, and support a resilient community.

The Climate Emergency Action Plan 2025-2030 puts words into action. It is delivering on three key strategies:

• Zero Carbon Merri-bek 2040 Framework – Provides the vision and strategic direction for the transition to zero carbon emissions (across energy, transport and waste) in Merri-bek.
• Climate Risk Strategy  – Provides the vision and strategic directions to proactively plan for and respond to the inevitable impacts of climate change.
• Circular Economy Strategy  – Provides the vision and strategic directions for a zero waste Merri-bek.