Victoria’s Wellington Shire Council says it is on track to reach net zero emissions by 2040, with a new online report measuring local progress, achievements, and success.
Council recently launched the new tool to keep the community up to date about the progress being made towards the goals and targets outlined in its Sustainability Strategy 2020-24.
The new interactive Our Sustainability Impact online report breaks up Council’s sustainability projects into the five key themes of the Sustainability Strategy.
“It looks closely at how we have worked towards achieving climate resilient communities, a low carbon economy, protecting nature, and progressing towards a circular economy and environmental stewardship – the rolling report documents the progress and highlights as we continue to be a community leader in sustainability,” Council said in a statement.
“Some highlights from the last 12 months include swapping almost all high energy streetlights to energy efficient LEDs, trialling a range of plant species to uncover which will perform better under a changing climate, and the wonderful work being done onsite to make compost, mulch and soil, used to fertilise public parks and garden beds.”
Last year, Council identified climate change as the region’s number one priority in the Council Plan 2021-25. The plan recognises that temperature increases, lower rainfall, more frequent bushfires, more intense flooding and sea level rises will all have a significant impact on the local community.
Council says it is continuing to facilitate projects that aim to mitigate and adapt local communities to climate change.
Through this work, it is taking a two-part approach to tackle climate change:
- Mitigation: to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2040, ensuring we do our part to limit global warming to under 1.5 degrees Celsius.
- Adaptation: modify planning processes, ensuring local communities are prepared for continuing climate change impacts, acknowledging that more extreme impacts are expected under a high emissions scenario.
Visit Council’s website at www.wellington.vic.gov.au/environment/our-plan-of-sustainable-action to view the Our Sustainability Impact report.
