Item 12.1 (iii) Brief Overview of Local Government Responses to Climate Emergency Declaration
Dr Kym Watling
To assist the Working Group to investigate the implications of making a climate emergency declaration. A brief overview of local councils that have declared, and what the declaration has meant for them and their communities. First Declaration
2016 Darebin Council, Melbourne
https://www.governmentnews.com.au/aussie-councils-form-nation-first-climate-alliance/ Climate Alliance Hubs
CED CACE CEDAMIA Climate Emergency Council Action in the Climate Emergency Declaration Climate Emergency Declaration and Mobilisation In Action ‘Million flowers blooming’ Bryony Edwards Margaret Hender ‘swarm’ organisation Adrian Whitehead Philip Sutton Front of house Organisational toolkit Data engine https://climateemergency https://www.caceonline.org/ https://www.cedamia.org/global/ declaration.org/
30 countries 1,765 local governments / jurisdictions 820 million citizens Many Resources
Intergovernmental National Centre for The Club Of Rome Panel on Climate Climate Restoration ClimateWorks Warning about Change (IPCC) Australia. Monash University environmental collapse UN body for assessing Reports, papers, and A research snapshot of since 1968. Produced the science related to guides, including the energy usage of 57 ‘Limits To Growth’ in 1972’. climate change. relevance to local Australian councils. Nothing happened. government.
https://www.ipcc.ch https://clubofrome.org https://www.breakthroughonline.org.au https://www.climateworksaustralia.org Support Organisations
Global . Climate Emergency Declaration (CED) . Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM) . Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) . C40 Cities (inc Sydney and Melbourne) . Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance (CNCA)
Australian . Cities Power Partnership (CPP) . Take2 (Vic) . Coalition for Community Energy (C4CE) . Beyond Zero Emissions (BZE) . NSW Government Sustainability Advantage Program
https://www.climateworksaustralia.org/resource/net -zero-momentum-tracker-local-government-report/ Australian Councils* Declared
State / Territory Number of Population % Population Councils per state
ACT 1 42,3811 99% NSW 34 3,545,777 44% NT 1 148,564 61% Qld 1 52,149 1% SA 16 812,968 46% Tas 3 173,690 32% Vic 32 3,400,843 51% WA 8 317,806 12% Total 96 8,664,607 34% Australians
* Including ACT as a Legislative Territory https://climateemergencydeclaration.org/climate-emergency-declarations-cover-15-million-citizens/ Northern Rivers Councils Climate Emergency Declared
Local Government Population Date declared
Byron Shire 33,987 18 Oct 2018
Clarence Valley Shire 51,646 23 Apr 2019
Lismore City 43,843 13 Aug 2019
Tweed Shire 96,108 19 Sept 2019
Ballina Shire 43,975 28 Nov 2019
https://climateemergencydeclaration.org/climate-emergency-declarations-cover-15-million-citizens/ Byron Shire Council 18 Oct 2018 Previous plans Greenhouse Action Strategy 2004 and Byron Shire Low Carbon Strategy 2014
https://www.byron.nsw.gov.au/ Byron Shire Council 18 Oct 2018 Mitigation
https://www.byron.nsw.gov.au/Services/Environment/Climate-change/Mitigation/ Adaptation
https://www.byron.nsw.gov.au/Services/Environment/Climate-change/Adaptation/ Byron Shire Council 18 Oct 2018
https://climateemergencydeclaration.org/byronshire/ Clarence Valley Council 23 Apr 2019
https://www.clarence.nsw.gov.au/cp_themes/metro/home.asp Clarence Valley Council 23 Apr 2019
https://www.clarence.nsw.gov.au/cp_themes/metro/page.asp?c=198 Clarence Valley Council 23 Apr 2019
https://www.clarence.nsw.gov.au/cp_themes/metro/page.asp?c=198 Clarence Valley Council 23 Apr 2019
https://www.clarenceconversations.com.au/ City of Lismore 13 Aug 2019
https://www.lismore.nsw.gov.au/infocouncil2/Open/2019/08/OC_13082019_AGN_AT_WEB.htm City of Lismore 13 Aug 2019 Target of 100% renewables by 2023
2018 Lismore Community Solar - Two 100 kW solar farms
. The first Council/community owned solar farm in the country including Australia's largest floating solar farm. . Funded by companies made up of local investors, with the funds loaned to Council under a novel financial model. . Rooftop Solar Farm at Goonellabah Sports & Aquatic Centre 15% of the centre’s power requirements . Floating solar farm at the East Lismore Sewage Treatment Plant 12% of Plant’s energy requirements, aim to power the sewage treatment plant from 100% solar energy.
https://www.lismore.nsw.gov.au/cp_themes/default/page.asp?p=DOC-FQZ-40-34-15 https://www.lismore.nsw.gov.au/infocouncil2/Open/2019/08/OC_13082019_AGN_AT_WEB.htm Tweed Shire Council 19 Sept 2019
https://www.tweed.nsw.gov.au/ Tweed Shire Council 19 Sept 2019
https://www.yoursaytweed.com.au/climatechange/ Ballina Shire Council 28 Nov 2019
https://www.cedamia.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Ballina-Ordinary_Minutes_28_November_2019.pdf Ballina Shire Council 28 Nov 2019
• Strategies found in Council Documents
• No advice on emissions targets
https://ballina.nsw.gov.au/council-documents--87 Kyogle & Villages Council
https://www.kyogle.nsw.gov.au/ Richmond Valley Council
https://richmondvalley.nsw.gov.au Tenterfield Shire Council
https://www.tenterfield.nsw.gov.au/services/waste-recycling Energy Consumption SOE 2016
SOE 2016 Report and summary links at https://richmondvalley.nsw.gov.au/services/environmental-health/ Declaration Motion README
.RECOGNISE the evidence & precedents .ENGAGE with community and partners .ACKNOWLEDGE risks and benefits .DECLARE emergency .MITIGATE through new and ongoing plans .ENCOURAGE all levels of government Evidence & Precedents
. IPCC, Paris Agreement 1.5 C . Federal Government emissions data, . Number of declared authorities local and global . BOM, CSIRO
. NASA, Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) . UN Emissions Report Gap 2018 . Main contributor burning of fossil fuels (CSIRO) . Short period to act (IPCC) . Require WWII level of action (Clarence Valley)
. Great Barrier Reef . Sir David Attenborough 'cannot be radical enough …' . Flood & recent major fires (Tweed)
Acknowledge Risks & Benefits
Risks Benefits . Heatwaves . Cost savings from energy efficiency . Bushfire gains and on-site solar . Drought . Ocean warming . Cost savings by protecting council . Changed rainfall assets through adaptation. . Floods . Stronger more informed community . Sea level rise (Clarence) . Extreme weather events
. Economic shock . Positive steps . Agriculture . Potential for jobs (Lismore) (Tweed)
. Youth most at stake (Tweed)
Committees & Membership
ALL . Climate Emergency Declaration BYRON . Sustainable Emission Reduction Advisory Committee (SERAC) CLARENCE VALLEY . Climate Change Advisory Committee (CCAC) LISMORE . Lismore Floodplain Management Committee TWEED . Council Youth Advisory Committee (CYAC) . Global Climate Change Compact . Cities Power Partnership BALLINA . Environmental and Sustainability Committee (Standing Committee)
Community Engagement
BYRON . Sustainable Emission Reduction Advisory Committee (SERAC) to Convene Climate Emergency Guidance Group to develop shire-wide Community Climate Emergency Plan CLARENCE VALLEY . Community collaboration . Online Renewables Questionnaire LISMORE . CSP review and Community Satisfaction Survey . Explore funding opportunities for local Emergency Services. TWEED . School Strike for Climate BALLINA
Government Lobbying
. Letters to State & Federal Members, Parliamentary Secretary for Northern NSW, State and Federal Environment Ministers advising of resolution and requesting action
. Encourage neighbouring local governments to act
. Call upon State and Federal Governments to declare a climate emergency backed with legislation to meet the lower Paris Agreement.
. Present motions at LGNSW Conference (Lismore)
Admin and Action Plans
BYRON BAY . Net Zero Emissions Strategy for Council Operations 2019-2025 . Towards Zero Integrated Waste Management and Resource Recovery Strategy 2019-2029 CLARENCE VALLEY . 100% Renewables Report . Include Climate Change heading in all reports . Meet obligations under Local Government Act 1993 . Link to Community Plan LISMORE . Renewable Energy Master Plan 2014 . Include climate change in Community Strategic Plan (CSP) TWEED . Renewable Energy Action Plan . Zero Waste Management . Include sustainability in all council reports BALLINA . Ballina Shire Council Climate Action Strategy 2012-2020
Energy Target Comparisons
Target Year Byron Net zero 2025 100% renewable 2027 Clarence Valley 40% below 2016/17 levels 2030 Net zero 2050 50% renewable 2030 100% renewable Long term Lismore 100% renewable 2023 Tweed Net zero 2030 Ballina unknown Kyogle 25% on-site solar 2025 50% renewable 2025 100% renewable 2030 Declared NSW Councils 34 declared out of 128 NSW councils https://climateemergencydeclaration.org/climate-emergency-declarations-cover-15-million-citizens/ Resistance to Declaration
. GP from Wagga Wagga wrote to NSW councils after bushfires urging to declare climate emergency . Wagga Wagga declared then rescinded after increasingly nasty debate. . Rebuffs from Lachlan Shire, Bland Shire, Tenterfield, Wollondilly . Aggressive climate denial and personal attacks . Newcastle and Woollongong declared despite industry . Noosa only Qld council to declare. Mayor received hate mail
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/30/you-have-utterly-no-clue-why-climate- emergency-is-australias-ultimate-outrage-trigger Darebin Three Years On
Pros . Solar Saver scheme where residents use their rates to pay off solar panels http://www.darebin.vic.gov.au/Darebin - Living/Caring-for-the- environment/EnergyClimate#Solar -Saver . Trial resurfacing roads with truck tyres and steel slag . Food waste collected for compost for farmers . Started global movement
Cons . No impact on Federal policy, https://www.governmentnews.com.au/type_contributors/three- e.g. COP25 years-since-climate-emergency-declared-what-have-we-done/
Pros and Cons
Benefits As is . Support from some sectors of community . Visible environmental credentials . Access to Local Government award schemes ? . May make a difference
Disadvantages . Possible social disruption and loss of potential collaboration . Administrative reporting load increased . No guarantee of influencing Federal or State policy
Social Mitigation Overcome barriers by Economic drivers Regards from Unumgar