Baw Baw Shire Council to declare and act on the climate emergency
Baw Baw Shire Councillors
We are facing a climate catastrophe. Leading scientists have warned that we have less than 12 years to take emergency action on climate change, or we face the gravest threats to our local and global environment. The climate emergency is already all around us and is impacting our lives in so many ways - devastating droughts, floods, bushfires all over the country, deadly air pollution, and a reef on life support.
This is an emergency and we must act now.
Globally, several hundred cities/councils have already declared climate emergencies, and they are making an important and vital contribution to addressing the climate crisis. Bold climate action can deliver new green jobs and economic benefits, preserve wildlife and habitats, and improve the lives of people in our community.
By declaring a climate emergency, the council will show our community, the State and the Federal Government that urgent action is needed to restore a safe and healthy planet for ourselves and generations to come.
Sponsored by
To:
Baw Baw Shire Councillors
From:
[Your Name]
We the undersigned:
1. acknowledge that dangerous climate change is happening now, and accelerating,
2. demand action at a pace far beyond business and politics as usual, and
3. hereby petition Baw Baw Shire Council to:
a. take a leadership role within the Baw Baw community for urgent action on climate change,
b. require all reports to Council to include a section on climate implications for Council's own operations and for the broader Baw Baw community, and
c. declare a climate emergency along with more than 550 local governments who have already done so around the world (www cedamia om/global)