Only months after declaring a Climate Emergency, a long-standing councillor from Mornington Peninsula Shire, Victoria, delivered the first climate emergency statement at COP25 in Madrid.
Cr Hugh Fraser was the global voice of local and municipal governments when he boldly called for stronger climate action at the Joint Opening Plenary of COP25 in Madrid, Spain.
Regional Director of ICLEI Oceania – Local Governments for Sustainability, Steve Gawler, said, “Mornington Peninsula Shire has joined a growing number of Australian local councils and over 1000 jurisdictions globally that have declared climate emergency and was one of the first to join the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, an alliance of over 10,000 cities and local governments around the world committed to accelerating local climate action.
“With Darebin Council in Victoria the first ever to declare, climate emergency councils now represent over three million Australians, including many on the coast vulnerable to sea-level rise and extreme storm events.”
Rallying behind Cr Fraser’s message, all of Australia’s capital cities have recently committed to stronger action through a Climate Statement delivered by the Council of Capital City Lord Mayors.
This statement promotes a partnership with the Australian Government for local climate solutions while encouraging councils to join the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, an alliance of over 10,000 cities and local governments around the world committed to accelerating climate change action.
The COP25 representation coincided with a ground-breaking report released by the Climate Council this week on the ‘terrible trifecta’ of heatwaves, drought and bushfires testing the resilience of Australian councils and identifying that some Australian capital cities may suffer under 50 degree heat waves in the future.
