Local Governments representing more than two million Australians have today called on the Federal Government to commit to strong, unified action on climate change, ahead of the UN Climate Conference, COP26 in November.
Merri-bek City Council alongside rural councils like Broken Hill in New South Wales, to inner-city suburbs like Wyndham in Victoria joined with 105 signatories in the Better Futures Australia (BFA) Declaration to urge Federal leaders to put politics aside and work with them to slash greenhouse gas emissions.
The signatories represent more than seven million Australians and over $330 billion in GDP and assets.
“Local councils are leading the way in reducing emissions and working with our diverse communities to create a safe climate. In Merri-bek, we have reduced our Council emissions by 69%. The next decade is critical and our Zero Carbon Merri-bek plan is to create a healthy, sustainable and thriving community.”Said Merri-bek Mayor, Cr Annalivia Carli Hannan.
“We are protecting our community by supporting residents on low income to benefit from solar power and insulated homes, powering 14 electric vehicle charging stations with 100% renewable energy and collaborating with neighbouring councils to build community skills for collective climate action.”
“The climate emergency requires urgent action by all levels of government. Local councils can not do all the heavy lifting. The more we come together to tackle environmental problems and move to net zero carbon, the greater the chance we have of achieving the goal of preventing temperature rise of more than 1.5°C.”
