City of Melville Council’s first Community Climate Action Plan has reached an important milestone, with the Climate Action Reference Group (CARG) completing a full year of engagement sessions.
The Council says the group of 24 members have met monthly since November 2022 to help develop ideas and voice priorities for climate action to inform the development of a Community Climate Action Plan.
“CARG members have listened to expert speakers from universities, industry and the private sector, and explored ways to reduce CO2 emissions, assess climate risks and make recommendations to adapt to climate change impacts in the community,” the Council said.
The topics covered included energy use in buildings, renewable energy systems, greening our suburbs, transport options, dietary choices and the circular economy.
Set to be finalised in 2024, Council says the Community Climate Action Plan will be a strategy to work together with the community, businesses and other key stakeholders to reduce carbon emissions and achieve net zero across the local government area by December 2050.
“On behalf of the City and our community, I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to the 24 members of our Climate Action Reference Group – your ideas, perspectives and passion is vital in achieving our ambitious target of net zero emissions across our local government areas by December 2050,” said Mayor, Katy Mair.
“Climate change is a key issue for Local Governments as it has implications across almost all aspects of our operations and responsibilities.
“Reducing carbon emissions across our local government area is not something we can do alone, and by working with our community, we have the opportunity to harness local knowledge and initiatives to mitigate and adapt to climate change at a local level.
“We are excited about continuing to work with community members on climate action into the future.”
After a community-wide recruitment campaign in 2022, CARG members from all suburbs were selected by a panel of Council staff and Elected Members. The group includes two members under the age of 18, three aged under 25, three aged over 65 and two local business owners.
“Feedback from the group highlighted that CARG provided an opportunity to learn more about what was already happening in the climate action space, make recommendations on further areas of action, meet people with similar concerns and work together to design solutions, and feel like they were making a difference at a local level,” Council said in a statement.
Following Council’s declaration of a climate emergency in 2021, it committed to become a carbon neutral organisation by December 2030, and achieve net zero carbon emissions across the local government area by 2050.
Earlier this year, the Council introduced its first Corporate Climate Action Plan – a strategy to reduce the organisation’s carbon footprint and achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.
The CARG will meet twice in early 2024 to support the finalisation of the Community Climate Action Plan, alongside wider community engagement, before the Plan is presented to Council for adoption.
For more information about the CARG, including a collection of resources the group explored, visit www.melvillecity.com.au/climateaction.
