EGCAN is once again asking our council to declare a Climate Emergency, joining thousands of regions across Australia and the world that are determined to get effective action before it’s too late.
Should East Gippsland Shire declare a Climate Emergency ?
It does seem that EGSC is making headway with their move towards lowering council emissions as council managed facilities have avoided releasing 141 tons of CO2 emissions in the past year while at the same time saving rate payers money. However if you take a look at The Municipal Emissions Snapshot for East Gippsland it indicates that there is only a very slight reduction in CO2 emissions for the past 3 years, and certainly not enough to meet the 2030 targets. It appears that the big emitters in the area are agriculture at 300,000t, then transport at 139,000t with residential emissions from households still at 126,000t. Direct emissions from council are a very small percentage of the overall community emissions so behaviour change at the individual and household level becomes critical.
The first duty of government is to protect it’s people and climate change is an existential threat that is intensifying far greater than most people realise. Engaging at a household level is an effective place for councils to start as they are after all best placed to work directly with their constituents to increase awareness and understanding of the changes we all need to make to tackle the climate crisis we are currently in. Everyone must be encouraged to see taking action to reduce our emissions as the normal and necessary thing to do, and councils are best placed to understand local conditions and the ways to assist their community to work together to achieve a better future. What could be better than knowing we are all working together to achieve the same critical goal, and where better to go for advice than the local council.
In Victoria 41 out of the 79 Councils have already declared a Climate Emergency for their area after considering the risk assessment data. There are compelling reasons for East Gippsland Shire Council to now join the many other government bodies representing well over 1 billion people world wide who have already declared a Climate Emergency. The following are a few of these reasons:
1. It would demonstrate that Council is acting in accordance with the Victorian Local Government Act to undertake climate mitigation and risk management while seeking the best outcomes for current and future generations.
2. It would help to engage the community to ensure adequate preparation for increased weather variability, reduced water availability, and the increased risk of bushfires and flash flooding.
3. It would demonstrate bold leadership and decisive, strong actions to tackle the tasks required at a local level.
4. It would demonstrate that they are aware of the rapid progression of climate change and that they care about ensuring a safe future for constituents.
5. It would indicate to the community the importance of taking immediate action to mitigate the effects of climate change, and when combined with appropriate education would foster a higher level of preparedness and resilience.
6. It would provide reassurance to all people, but especially the young, that we have a plan and are prepared which would reduce the level of fear experienced.
7. It would indicate the scale of the problem we face and the speed of the response required, after all we must dramatically reduce emissions this decade, and there are only seven and a half years left.
8. It would demonstrate a commitment to preserving and caring for the natural environment and the areas so loved by East Gippslanders.
9. It would demonstrate that Council is keeping up with the times and are in tune with world developments, as well as show that they wish to reduce the problems that will be exacerbated by further delay.
10. It would demonstrate to any people who are not yet ready to believe the overwhelming science about the reality and consequences of man made climate change, that this is a real and urgent problem with potentially dire consequences if we fail to act quickly.
11. It would assist farmers to address the issues they face from the growing climate instability that threatens food security and productivity in the area.
12. It would help raise awareness of the risk mitigation required for properties located in areas where they face either becoming uninsurable or the insurance becoming too expensive to afford.
Nola Kelly
We have taken our demands for climate action to every level of government: Darren Chesters office in Sale
Dear Councillor, I would like you to seriously consider reconsidering support for EGSC declaring a Climate Emergency. We need some local Government guidance in these trying, and often confusing times, in what we can do, as individuals to help us understand and action transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources.
I know this proposal was put forth previously with EGSC and not fully supported, but time has passed since then , others have moved forward including many Victorian Councils, to declaring a Climate Emergency (which means time is running out!). I hope that in the very near future you and the Council will be providing your plans to address this and related Climate issues, to a Public Forum, run by Council.
A declaration of a Climate Emergency would give a very clear message that you and Council care about this important issue as it effects your Constituents.
Respectfully, Royal Carrington
We have been calling for action on the Climate Emergency since our group formed in 2019.
23.04.23 Dear Councillor,
Our family has always treated our environment as precious, and lived accordingly, trying to reduce our impact on the world. Individual efforts are clearly not enough anymore, and the advice from the International Panel on Climate Change is loud and clear. We must listen to the warnings of a looming climate catastrophe.
The Climate Change in Australia website delivers climate change projections at a national level. Data confirms “ all of Victoria has warmed since 1910. Average annual temperature has increased by 1.2 degrees since 1910.” “ Over the past 30 years, Victoria’s cool season rainfall has declined. The number of days with dangerous weather conditions for bushfires has increased across the region.” The following changes are projected:
“VICTORIA WILL CONTINUE TO GET HOTTER INTO THE FUTURE “
This scientific information is easily accessible and readily available to all. Many people are making significant changes to their lifestyle in response to the information. People have a right to be confident and reassured their elected leaders are also responding in a serious fashion. How frightening if we are not confident we are being protected from the impact of climate change at a governmental level.
On 20.04.23 The youth mental health foundation Orygen and Mission Australia released the findings of a survey of 19,000 young Australians aged 15 – 19. Co – author of the report Dr C Gao says the impact of the climate emergency on mental health is “ an emerging but significant issue. “ 26% report being very or extremely concerned about the climate crisis. Most well respected welfare organisations now provide strategies and support for people experiencing climate or eco anxiety. Australian Red Cross, Headspace and Reachout Australia to name a few. Young people especially experience climate anxiety, because they know it is their generation and those to follow that will bear the ghastly brunt of what we have done, OR NOT DONE.
A sense of helplessness can fuel climate anxiety.
The East Gippsland Shire Council can act. Imagine if a Climate Emergency was declared. Imagine the confidence it would give East Gippslands’ young people, if they had evidence the climate science was being taken seriously. Imagine if we had meetings to educate and support the community to understand why we must change.
Declaring a Climate Emergency is a powerful message that we value our very unique part of the world and want to protect it for the future, and I request my Council takes this action.
Yours sincerely Jenny Bull
Our group has tried to get the message out to the community in many different ways…
To Mayor Reeves, all councillors and staff of East Gippsland Shire
East Gippsland is a very special place with, I believe, more natural resources than most municipalities in Victoria. The largest lake system in Australia, mountains and ski fields, Ramsar wetlands, undammed rivers, unique temperate rainforests and a large Indigenous population all mean that special care is needed to manage such resources.
With a relatively sparse population, we are in a strong position to act before the expected upcoming influx of Australians and refugees, including climate refugees from many parts of the world.
If one considers the information included in this site:
This means monumental changes in so many areas of life..what food we can grow, the health of the local population, the amount of insulation needed in homes, the rise in sea levels, town planning, land use development, the increase in energy use and all the rest.
Already over 20% of Victorian 79 LGAs have declared a Climate Emergency. EGSC is running late in doing the same.
When EGSC declares a Climate Emergency it could mean starting with some easy and not too costly actions such as:
Produce a science based leaflet with some simple actions for householders to be distributed to every household. local community groups free.
Support the setting up of a network of community vegetable gardens around the Shire as part of a larger program to encourage the growth of the local Circular Economy. The federal government has been asked to provide funding for such coordinators.
Encourage residents to plant out their nature strips with low growing native plants and even food producing plants.
Plant median strips with native trees and shrubs to reduce grass cutting.
Provide some funds to run an annual Schools Competition on how to reduce emissions locally or at home
Provide prizes for an annual community competition to see which households do the most to reduce their emissions. Again some community groups could be sponsored to assist with this.
It is your responsibility as the third tier of government closest to the people, to act decisively before it becomes too expensive to do much and before the dire effects of climate change get completely out of control.
I request that EGSC declare a Climate Emergency immediately or as soon as possible.
Grace McCaughey
Chalk ups add colour and interest to our streets. The message is worth millions…
April 23, 2023
Dear Mayor Reeves, fellow Councillors and Staff,
I write to express my concern about the ongoing climate crisis and my belief that local governments can have an enormous impact on turning the crisis around in a strategic and positive way through the declaration of a Climate Emergency.
During the 2019-20 bushfires and over a three week period, my partner and I willingly hosted a total of 13* people, their dogs and their concerned visitors. The temporary residents included an Orbost family that was expecting a second child – Obstetric service limitations necessitated early evacuation as the baby’s arrival was imminent. Our guests had been evacuated from Bruthen, Nicholson, Orbost and Ellaswood. It was a time of huge upheaval, anxiety and exhaustion as each guest dealt with not only their own fears, but with concern for family and other loved ones at risk of losing their homes and livelihoods.
I know this story reflects similar experiences of many people in the region. I also know that it will happen again as global heating is allowed to increase and new tipping points are reached. More extreme weather will result in worse bushfires, worse flooding, more loss of life and continued human displacement and hardship.
Advice from the IPCC and scientists is clear; we can no longer ignore the looming crisis. We need solutions at all government levels that embrace and educate the public whilst drawing on their skills in a spirit of “we are all in this together”.
There are solutions and the more governments get on board with exploring all the options, the more funding will be appropriately directed towards campaigns to reverse the crisis.
Mayor Reeves and Councillors, I implore you to join the many local governments that have declared a Climate Emergency. By this action, you acknowledge the imperative for direction that places climate change at the centre of all policy and planning decisions.
Declaring a Climate Emergency is an extraordinarily meaningful position that will equip the East Gippsland Shire Council with the necessary tools to face the climate crisis with leadership and pride. Such a declaration is a perfect opportunity to showcase the commendable strides the Council has already made in its attempts to tackle the climate crisis. Through thorough community engagement processes locals of all ages urgently need to know of the work already done AND the further effort required.
Every day the news becomes more worrying; we need to harness the strength of communities to work cooperatively by providing them with the right information and sense of urgency that supplants fear with knowledge.
Yours sincerely
Angela Crunden
*Guest #14 arrived safely on January 7th. He, and his mother, were discharged back “home” to us on the very same day. That first week of his new life was a time of pure joy and happiness coupled with a deep concern for his future.
Chalk ups – some of the politicians have changed since this chalk up a few years ago. However the message is unfortunately still the same. Not enough action. Not urgent enough.
Dear Sir/Madam,
I have lived in East Gippsland for more than 30 years. During that time I have seen and experienced changes in our region. These include at least 3 unprecedented, massive bushfires, culminating in the horrendous 2019-20 fires. I have seen local ‘special places’ such as Fairy Dell declining and stressed during the drought before the fires, now unrecognisable.
Despite all these changes and despite the shire doing some good work, the State Government with almost acceptable targets and the Federal government with unacceptably poor targets, we are not doing anywhere near enough to meet the goals that climate scientists clearly say are required to stop global heating. The good news is that the scientists have some confidence that if we act quickly using the known methods of reducing CO2 emissions, we can keep the temperature from getting into the catastrophic zone.
It is already too late to turn down the heating but we can give the future hope.
The three levels of government can start by declaring a state of climate emergency. We need this action on this emergency embedded in every action by the council and in all interactions with State and Federal government. Every decision must be closely linked to climate action. At the beginning of every decision, the impact on climate must be assessed.
To ensure we are all aware of what needs to be done across the region, I think that the council and its staff should schedule community meetings, just as you would with any other emergency. This will make clear to all why and how you are responding and what you will do in the future as you move to tackle this ongoing emergency.
The Secretary of the United Nations Anton Guterres recently stated: ‘The climate time-bomb is ticking. But today’s IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report is a how-to guide to defuse the climate time-bomb. It is a survival guide for humanity. As it shows, the 1.5°C limit is achievable. But it will take a quantum leap in climate action. This report (The IPCC Synthesis Report) is a clarion call to massively fast-track climate efforts by every country and every sector and on every timeframe. (https://press.un.org/en/2023/sgsm21730.doc.htm)
The climate scientists’ message is crystal clear: We have already delayed too long. We have a last narrow window to stop catastrophic warming. It is an emergency and we need to declare this now.
Climate News 