Clover Moore says ‘successive federal governments have shamefully presided over a climate disaster’
City of Sydney
councillors are set to vote on declaring the climate crisis a national
emergency that “poses a serious risk to the people of Sydney”.
If passed, the council will join hundreds of local governments worldwide that have made similar declarations.
The Sydney lord mayor, Clover Moore, said in a mayoral minute published Friday that “successive federal governments have shamefully presided over a climate disaster, and now we are at a critical juncture – we face a climate emergency.
“On January 24 2019, 91 of the hottest 100 places on earth were in Australia,” Moore said. “Heat waves on our continent are now five times more likely. But it is not just their frequency that is alarming – they start earlier, become hotter, and last longer.
“This emergency is not just about the numbers, it is about our communities, and its impacts are felt by us all, particularly the poorest amongst us – the vulnerable, the marginalised and those that live in remote communities.”
The motion calls on the federal government to respond urgently to the climate emergency by reintroducing a carbon price and establishing a “Just Transition Authority” whose role would be to ensure that Australians working in fossil fuel industries can find suitable alternative employment.
City of Sydney has set a goal to reduce the city’s emissions by 70% by 2030 and to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Moore said the council had cut the emissions of its own operations by 25% as of June 2017 and, by transitioning to 100% renewable energy, it would reach its 2030 target by 2024, six years early.
“Despite this work, and the combined action of other city governments, some state governments, the community and business, Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions have increased for four consecutive years,” she said. “It is clear that the current federal government’s policies are simply not working.”
More than 600 councils globally have made climate emergency declarations. In Australia, 22 councils have made declarations, as well as the ACT government.
City of Sydney is expected to pass the declaration on Monday. Moore said the driving factor for councils was rising anxiety in their communities about inaction on climate change at a national level as natural disasters and heatwaves occurred with increasing frequency around the country.
Nic Seaton, the deputy program director of Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said “a rising tide of communities across the country from the ground up are having their views represented by local leaders”.
“Lord mayor Clover Moore is the latest leader to tell the truth and call the climate crisis what it is – a critical emergency,” he said.
If passed, the council will join hundreds of local governments worldwide that have made similar declarations.
The Sydney lord mayor, Clover Moore, said in a mayoral minute published Friday that “successive federal governments have shamefully presided over a climate disaster, and now we are at a critical juncture – we face a climate emergency.
“On January 24 2019, 91 of the hottest 100 places on earth were in Australia,” Moore said. “Heat waves on our continent are now five times more likely. But it is not just their frequency that is alarming – they start earlier, become hotter, and last longer.
“This emergency is not just about the numbers, it is about our communities, and its impacts are felt by us all, particularly the poorest amongst us – the vulnerable, the marginalised and those that live in remote communities.”
The motion calls on the federal government to respond urgently to the climate emergency by reintroducing a carbon price and establishing a “Just Transition Authority” whose role would be to ensure that Australians working in fossil fuel industries can find suitable alternative employment.
City of Sydney has set a goal to reduce the city’s emissions by 70% by 2030 and to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Moore said the council had cut the emissions of its own operations by 25% as of June 2017 and, by transitioning to 100% renewable energy, it would reach its 2030 target by 2024, six years early.
“Despite this work, and the combined action of other city governments, some state governments, the community and business, Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions have increased for four consecutive years,” she said. “It is clear that the current federal government’s policies are simply not working.”
More than 600 councils globally have made climate emergency declarations. In Australia, 22 councils have made declarations, as well as the ACT government.
City of Sydney is expected to pass the declaration on Monday. Moore said the driving factor for councils was rising anxiety in their communities about inaction on climate change at a national level as natural disasters and heatwaves occurred with increasing frequency around the country.
Nic Seaton, the deputy program director of Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said “a rising tide of communities across the country from the ground up are having their views represented by local leaders”.
“Lord mayor Clover Moore is the latest leader to tell the truth and call the climate crisis what it is – a critical emergency,” he said.
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