There's been a lot of activity on many fronts in the space of action on climate change.
BEAM awaits the Mitchell Shire Declaration and action strategies going forward, but beyond our Shire, Victoria’s Climate Strategy heads the bill.
The Andrews government has announced Victoria’s climate strategy including Emissions Reduction Targets of 28-33 percent below 2005 levels by 2025 and 45-50 percent by 2030.
The strategy follows the Greg Combet-led expert committee recommendations to the Andrews Government earlier this year.
Government releases the Victorian Climate Change Strategy
Victoria’s Climate Change Strategy is a roadmap to net-zero emissions and a climate resilient Victoria by 2050.
Key to the plan are ambitious but achievable targets to reduce emissions by 28-33 per cent by 2025 and 45-50 per cent by 2030.
The initiatives in the Climate Change Strategy will support communities and businesses to make the changes needed to reduce the impacts of climate change and continue to support our economy to grow.
For more information visit: https://www.climatechange.vic.gov.au/victorias-climate-change-strategy
The public appetite for stronger action on climate grows….
As a federal election creeps closer, likely due either at the end of this year or at the latest, May 2022, public opinion on climate policy and feelings on the urgency of climate change become increasingly relevant.
A recent update of the Lowy Institute’s long-running survey of views on climate in Australia reveal several fascinating trends that shed some insight onto the pathways that both of Australia’s major parties are likely to take during an election, on climate, and also reveal some worrying and non-obvious problems.
Last week, the International Energy Agency found in a major new report that advanced economies like Australia need to cease the construction of new fossil fuel mines, such as for coal and gas, plan to shut down coal plants by 2030, introduce strict vehicle emissions standards and phase-out combustion engine sales by 2030-2035, and begin the transition to heat pumps and home electrification as soon as possible.
The Lowy poll touches on some of these actions, with some interesting findings.
A total ban on new coal mines, for instance, is incredibly popular. For the total population, 63% of respondents support this. It’s 60%, for respondents from regional Australia. In Queensland, the state with most of Australia’s new planned coal mines, it is 53%, and in NSW, the other hotbed of planned coal, it’s 64%. It’s also 64% for low income Australians, and 62% for high income Australians. Politics is the only real differentiator here – it’s 42% for Liberal-Nationals, 72% for Labor and 92% for the Greens. Courtesy RenewEconomy May 28
“Many Australians appear to be moving away from coal. Six in ten Australians (63%) support a ban on new coal mines opening in Australia. The same number (63%) say they support reducing Australian coal exports to other countries. Only three in ten Australians (30%) say they support the federal government providing subsidies for building new coal-fired power plants”, write the report’s authors, Natasha Kassam and Hannah Léser. Courtesy RenewEconomy. Full article here https://reneweconomy.com.au/australia-is-ready-for-a-change-on-climate-which-party-will-take-the-first-step/
The Peoples Climate Strategy.
Friends of the Earth and allies campaigned to secure science-based climate targets for Victoria since 2017. A community-based climate action strategy was developed over the 2020 lockdown as The Peoples Climate Strategy. This is the grass roots complement to the State’s Climate Strategy.
Act on Climate were pushing for a world-leading cut of 75 percent by 2030—a target that scientists say is necessary to achieve the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C—and ended up with a commitment to halve Victoria's emissions over the next decade.
Act on Climate developing local climate conversations
FoE understands that there are differing views on what level of ambition is acceptable given the dire state of the climate crisis.
Leigh Ewbank from FoE’s Action on Climate collective spoke on EarthChat (may 28) about this community-grown climate action strategy. “During the lockdown FoE worked with community groups to develop local responses to the climate challenge”. These sit neatly aside of the State strategy, and the local focus accords with BEAM and Mitchell Community Energy efforts to have our Mitchell Shire Council develop a Declaration of Climate Emergency that embraces strong emissions reduction targets (net zero emissions for the Shire by 2030) and work WITH community groups to create workable outcomes in this process.
FoE has proposed that community groups “get on board” and present The Peoples Climate Strategy to theor local MPs on Friday June 18th. BEAM is up for this.
If YOU want to be involved in talking with Steph Ryan, and Damian Drum with this, and discuss subjects like Regenerative Farming and local Community Energy initiatives, call Peter on 0407 935 400, or email beam.inc18@gmail.com
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