At its meeting of 16 December 2019, Alexandrina Council supported a climate emergency declaration (CED) providing the organisation with a clear mandate to place climate change at the forefront of local action. A CED is a decision that recognises the science, acknowledges the serious risks of climate change to our community, economy and ecosystems; and makes a commitment to act. Details of the declaration are as follows:
Alexandrina Council:
- Declares that we are in a state of climate emergency and acknowledges that unless all levels of government take action and lead their communities to restore a safe climate, there will be further dramatic and negative impacts on our community and globally.
- Notes that it is still possible to restore a safe climate and prevent most of the anticipated long-term climate impacts – but only if all levels of government around the globe adopt an emergency mode of action, actively working with their communities, to restore a safe and healthy planet at the necessary scale and speed.
- Will actively collaborate with and advocate for neighbouring local governments, state governments and the federal government to join with us by accelerating the adoption of a climate emergency response and developing their own Climate Emergency Plan.
- Will write to State and Federal Members of Parliament who represent the Alexandrina Council region, advising them of Council’s resolution and request they also act with urgency to address climate change.
- In accordance with the above declaration; assigns a high priority to the following climate emergency responses in the 2020-21 Annual Business Plan and Budget deliberation process namely;
- Creation of a Climate Emergency Advisory Committee of Council (as per section 41 of the LGA) and related Secretariat support;
- Allocation of additional resources and staffing to apply for grants and utilise rebates to develop and implement projects and programs including:
- Initiation of climate change mitigation and adaptation initiatives eg. energy reduction, and carbon sequestration programs.
- Development and implementation of a Climate Emergency Plan as part of Council’s strategic planning framework.
- Reviewing existing Council policies and plans with a view to facilitating a climate emergency response.
- Rolling out staff and public education and support-building a campaign in order to achieve broad community support for the move into climate emergency mode.