Plan of action for Climate Emergency
After extensive community consultation, Bayside City Council has unanimously adopted its Climate Emergency Action Plan to step out our urgent response to the impacts of climate change.
With nearly 3,000 community members giving feedback to support the development of the Draft Climate Emergency Action Plan, the Bayside community has had a key role in identifying the top themes for Council to focus on in the Action Plan.
Bayside City Council Mayor, Cr Clarke Martin said this is the next step towards taking meaningful and immediate action.
“Bayside is an environmentally conscious municipality with much of our wonderful foreshore and open space at risk from the effects of climate change,” Cr Martin said.
“This action plan will go a long way in Council’s response to the climate crisis and guide our actions to creating better environmental outcomes for the community and will remind us there’s always more to be done. I am particularly pleased with the roll out of full electric Council vehicles and getting on with public electric charging stations.”
The five year map highlights seven themes all with their own actions:
1. Build the foundations
2. Mobilise with our community
3. Move to zero carbon transport
4. Transform to a climate responsive built environment
5. Protect and enhance our natural environment
6. Transition to a Circular Economy to avoid waste
7. Switch to zero carbon energy
The Climate Emergency Action Plan has 34 actions across these themes including: establishing an emissions reduction target for the entire Bayside community; the establishment of a Sustainable Community Grants program, and an investigation into suitable public Electric Vehicle charging sites.
The Climate Emergency Action Plan was adopted less than nine months from Bayside’s declaration of a ‘Climate Emergency’ on 17 December 2019.
Bayside City Council was the 22nd Council in Victoria to declare a Climate Emergency, joining over 840 local governments globally and other member Councils in the South East Councils Climate Change Alliance (SECCCA).
